Pakistan’s police raided the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party office in Islamabad on Monday and arrested its spokesman Rauf Hasan, along with media coordinator Ahmad Waqas Janjua, for carrying out anti-state propaganda, according to the Interior Ministry.
Kabul 24: The ministry said police also raided the party’s digital media wing and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was involved. PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan condemned the arrests of party workers, including some from the media wing, in recent police raids.
The arrests come amid a series of legal victories for Khan’s PTI party this month. On July 12, the Supreme Court ruled the PTI should receive an additional 23 parliamentary seats, undermining Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition.
The following day, an Islamabad court annulled Khan’s conviction for an illegal marriage, suspending or overturning all four of his recent convictions.
However, Khan remains incarcerated on new allegations related to inciting protests and corruption, which he claims are politically motivated to keep him from regaining power.
The government plans to initiate legal actions to prohibit the PTI, citing allegations such as inciting violent protests last year and leaking classified information.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan denounced the government’s actions as a significant setback to democratic principles, warning it will result in increased polarization and political disorder. A UN panel concluded Khan’s detention lacked legal justification and seemed designed to prevent him from participating in elections.
