Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Court Issues Arrest Warrants for Imran Khan, His Wife, and 94 Others

An anti-terrorism court of Pakistan on Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Imran Khan, the wife Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur as well as 93 other people in a case related to last week's protests held by his party supporters in Islamabad.

Khan, who has been incarcerated since 2023, had on November 13 issued a “final call” for nationwide protests to be held on Nov 24, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party members, and the reversal of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

The main protest in Islamabad ended in clashes in which the party said 12 PTI supporters were killed, while hundreds were arrested.

The Islamabad Police presented a list of 96 suspects before the Islamabad-based Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) that included prominent leaders of PTI, such as Khan, Bibi, Gandapur, former president Arif Alvi, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and several others.

It asked the court to issue their arrest warrants and ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra accepted the request and issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 96 suspects.

The first information report (FIR) registered after the protest included various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act.

It accused the leaders of PTI of resorting to attacking police personnel under a "conspiracy" and using government employees for their purposes during the protest. It also said that actions of protesters led to trapping locals in their homes, spreading fear and panic.

Khan had already been sent to jail on judicial remand in seven cases related to protests between September 28 and October 5.

Since his government fell in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote, dozens of cases have been registered against him.