Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Charged With Instigating Military Attacks

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan/PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday was charged with inciting an attack on the military.

This case is related to the deadly anti-government demonstration led by his party. The indictment is the latest in dozens of cases against Imran Khan who was jailed since late last year.

The trial came hours after the court issued a warrant to arrest Khan's wife.

Khan pleaded not guilty when judges at anti-terrorism courts in Rawalpindi read out the charges against him and dozens of others including former ministers, leaders and supporters, local media and his party said.

The party said it would oppose the indictment.

"The charges come without any evidence or evidence. Once we are against them, we believe the charges will be dropped because they are nothing but political virimization," said spokesman for the Pakistan party Tereek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Khan., December 5th.

His spokesman, Zulfikar Bukhari, said it was not clear what maximum sentence Khan could impose on terrorism charges.

Khan is currently on trial on corruption charges although his entire sentence has been suspended or canceled.

Thousands of Khan supporters previously attacked and burned several buildings and military offices, including the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, on May 9, 2023, in protest against Khan's arrest on corruption charges.

At least eight people died in the violence.

Khan previously denied that he directed the attack.

These attacks are an unprecedented challenge to the military in Pakistan, which has long played a major role in the country's politics.

Several of Khan's supporters have been sentenced in connection with the violence.

Former government minister Omar Ayub Khan, who is currently the leader of the opposition in parliament, was arrested shortly after the charges were carried out outside the prison, the party said.