ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has said it will move the Islamabad High Court today, Wednesday, against the arrest of its lawmakers and their eight-day physical remand by an anti-terrorism court. 

The opposition PTI party held a rally on Sunday to demand the release of its founder and ex-premier Khan, who has been in prison since August last year. The gathering was mostly peaceful, but there were clashes between some PTI supporters and police en route to the rally venue, in which one police officer was injured. The rally also went on longer than the 7pm deadline given by the district administration.

On Monday evening, in a late night swoop, police arrested at least 13 PTI leaders, many of them from inside the parliament building for what authorities described as violations of a new law to regulate public gatherings in the capital, including by setting time limits and designating specific areas for rallies. PTI Chairman Gohar Khan was among those arrested but he was released on Tuesday while the others were remanded by an anti-terrorism court into custody for eight days. 

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has opened an enquiry into the arrest of the opposition MPs from inside parliament. Under Pakistani law, the concerned judge or magistrate needs to inform the speaker of reasons for the arrest of an MNA, while lawmakers cannot be arrested from within the precincts of parliament without the speaker’s permission.

“PTI’s legal team is going to challenge the remand sought by the counter-terrorism police against [the party] leadership in the Islamabad High Court tomorrow morning,” the party said in a message circulated to media on Tuesday evening.

According to AFP, nine PTI lawmakers were among more than 30 people remanded in custody on charges of violating the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, which was passed days before the protest. 

PTI stalwart and lawyer Shoaib Shaheen, who was arrested from his chamber, faced charges of “attacking officials,” “armed riots,” and “illegal assembly” after Sunday’s rally.

“These are not the offenses for which you should charge people under terrorism legislation,” PTI chairman Gohar Khan told the media after his release. 

The new Pakistani law imposing restrictions on public gatherings in Islamabad has been criticized by rights groups, with Amnesty International saying it threatened the “right to protest” and set a “dangerous precedent” for provinces that could replicate it.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has also condemned “the arbitrary arrests” of PTI lawmakers, saying they do not bode well for the country’s democracy.

The PTI has complained about a state crackdown against it since May 9, 2023, when ex-PM Khan was briefly detained by law enforcement agencies, sparking protests in which people carrying its flags vandalized government buildings and military properties. The government denies it is persecuting the PTI. 

– With input from AFP