Pakistan arrests 25 supporters of Imran Khan for attacking military facilities | Imran Khan News

A military court is trying civilians involved in the 2023 riots, with rights groups calling the sentence a “scare tactic”.

Pakistan has arrested 25 civilians for attacks on military facilities after the arrest of the former prime minister. Imran Khan In 2023.

The military’s public relations wing confirmed the decision on Saturday, saying that a military court sentenced 14 people to two to 10 years of “rigorous imprisonment” and ten years behind bars.

The statement did not specify the charges, but referred to the actions committed by Khan’s supporters. they raided military buildings and during riots in May 2023, they burned down a general’s house as “political terrorism”.

The ruling is “a stark reminder to never take the law into your own hands,” he said.

The military said others accused of the violence, which killed at least eight people, were being tried in counter-terrorism courts and that justice would only be fully served when the “masterminds” were punished.

Amnesty International called the decision “an intimidation tactic designed to suppress the opposition”.

Politically motivated

Khan, a former cricket star, served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted in a no-confidence vote by parliament, which blamed the then head of the powerful military establishment for his downfall.

He was 72 years old was arrested for days He was jailed in May 2023, then again three months later, and has since faced a parade of court cases he claims are politically motivated.

Meanwhile, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party suffered a large-scale crackdown, with thousands of local supporters and high-ranking officials arrested.

Khan was barred from participating in the elections in February this year, which were accompanied by allegations of fraud.

The PTI resisted pressure to win more seats than any other party, but was ousted from power by a coalition of parties deemed more amenable to military influence.

Last month, protests and riots once again engulfed the capital, Islamabad, when thousands of PTI supporters attempted to occupy a public square outside parliament.

Saturday’s decision comes days after Khan was indicted by an anti-terrorism court on charges of inciting attacks against the military.