Pakistan’s Information Minister Atta Tarar said on Monday that any decision regarding the military trial of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be taken on the merits of the case. He said this in a press conference. A day earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf activists and leaders held a public rally in Islamabad demanding the government to release Imran Khan. Imran has been lodged in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for more than a year.
‘The decision will be based on evidence’
Responding to a question, the minister said, ‘Imran Khan’s military trial will be decided on the basis of evidence and on merit.’ He was talking about the ongoing military trial of Imran Khan for his alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023 violence, when PTI workers and Imran supporters attacked military buildings in protest against his arrest.
Demand for release of Imran
However, the issue of military prosecution of civilians is pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan for a final decision and the cases of more than a hundred civilians who were handed over to military authorities after the violence are also pending. In the first rally in Islamabad after the February 8 elections, PTI leaders asked the government to release Imran Khan.
Warning given to Pak government
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur went a step further and warned the government to release Imran Khan within two weeks or else the party would forcibly release him.
The chief minister said, “If the PTI founder is not released through legal means within one to two weeks, we will get him released ourselves.” He has declared that he will go ahead and take the first bullet to get Imran out of jail.
The police dispersed the crowd
Imran’s party held a show of strength on Sunday, demanding his immediate release and criticising the government for its crackdown on the party. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
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