Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif hints at military trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has hinted that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan might face a military trial, ARY News reported.

Speaking at a private news channel’s talk show, Asif stated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has to issue an apology to the country over the May 9 events, otherwise, there will be no dialogue, as per a report in ARY News.

He said that 24 civilian cases trailed in the military court during the PTI-led government. He further said that out of these 24 cases, many were sentenced to death.

In a recent interview, Khawaja Asif said that if the PTI founder Imran Khan is tried in a military court, it would be an open trial.

Speaking at a private news channel, he called an open trial important to expose “negative” designs of the PTI founder. He said that Imran Khan-found party was ‘involved in the attack on national institutions on May 9, the report said.

He said, “The nation must know about the sinister designs of PTI against the security institutions. If former PM’s case refers to a military court then open trial is necessary to tell the public about PTI’s leader.”

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the relationship between Imran Khan and former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed continued even after May 9, ARY News reported.

He added, “The two (PTI founder and Faiz Hameed) had a common goal, which is why they had a relationship.”

On May 9, last year, PTI workers held protests across the country after the arrest of Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court. The protest, however, turned into riots with some mobs found attacking military installations. PTI had urged people of Pakistan to come out and protest against Imran Khan’s arrest.

Imran Khan, who served as Pakistan’s Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail since August 2023 on multiple charges, including the Toshakhana case, the cypher case, and the unlawful marriage case.

His wife Bushra Bibi has also been behind bars for months. The court, however, suspended Imran Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case, while other courts overturned his convictions in the cypher and iddat cases, respectively, Geo News reported.

The chances of Imran Khan’s release from prison further dimmed after the Lahore Police declared his arrest in various cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots, that started after his arrest from Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises last year. (ANI)

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