As the police arrested dozens of supporters and aides of former premier Imran Khan in raids in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the government to show restraint in imposing terrorism charges on the opposition supporters.
The HRW said the police used abusive measures in the escalating confrontation between police and Imran Khan’s supporters and charged protesters with batons and detained them under counter-terrorism laws. The HRW added that if the protesters were involved in acts of violence, the government should prosecute them appropriately instead of over the top use of terrorism charges.
The government should uphold the right to peaceful protest, and refrain from the unlawful use of force, the HRW added.
On March 18, as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan finally arrived at a courthouse in Islamabad after the court had issued an arrest warrant against him in a corruption case for a no-show, the party’s supporters clashed with the police authorities outside the court.
Earlier, a judge had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the ex-premier after the PTI chief repeatedly failed to appear before the court.
However, when the police reached Imran’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore to arrest him following the court’s orders, they were met with resistance, leading to two-day pitched battles between PTI supporters and law enforcement agencies. The clashes ultimately subsided after the courts intervened.
In the aftermath of the violent clashes, police had arrested nearly 200 PTI members for “arson, vandalism and the attacks on police.”
, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the government to show restraint in imposing terrorism charges on the opposition supporters.){kind=link}