ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s lower house of parliament on Monday passed a resolution seeking a speedy trial of those who had instigated and attacked military properties after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested and detained on May 9 in a corruption case.
The embattled Khan is embroiled in a confrontation with Pakistan's all-powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan directly or overseen civilian governments throughout its history.
His May 9 arrest sparked widespread protests by his supporters who ransacked military facilities. Khan, who has since been released on bail, has repeatedly appealed for talks to end the standoff with the military. The government has rejected his call and threatened to ban Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, and the military has said both the enactors and masterminds of the May 9 violence would be tried under army laws.
On Thursday, in a new challenge to Khan, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif moved a resolution in the National Assembly, which did not name Khan or the PTI but said “a political party and its chairman” broke the law on May 9 and “orchestrated” attacks on military installations. The resolution was unanimously passed.
“The resolution to take legal action against a political party involved in the events of May 9 and its leader was approved by a majority vote in the House,” the NA said on its Twitter page.
“The actions of this party and its chief caused damage, that cannot by compensated, to the state institutions ... Therefore, actions must be taken against them according to the law and Constitution without even a day’s delay,” the resolution read.
The passing of the resolution, on a day that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a one-on-one meeting with Army Chief General Asim Munir, was widely seen as deepening the challenge for an embattled Imran Khan and putting him one step closer to a military trial.
Khan has in recent weeks openly accused the military and its intelligence agency of trying to destroy his party, saying he had "no doubt" he would be tried in a military court and thrown into jail. The military has said it is not behind a crackdown on political activities but will only punish those who instigated and attacked army properties.
"Clearly those who are responsible for this reign of terror feel they are above law," Khan wrote in a Twitter post on Monday.
