ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan has been booked in six new cases relating to last week’s protests in Islamabad, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Monday, adding to legal woes of the incarcerated premier.
Khan’s PTI led supporters to Islamabad from Peshawar and other cities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on November 24, seeking to pressure the government to release the ex-premier from prison.
The protests resulted in clashes that Pakistan’s government says killed three paramilitary soldiers and a police officer, and injured hundreds of others. The PTI has named 12 people who it says were killed during the crackdown.
On Monday, the PTI said the Rawalpindi police sought physical remand of the former premier in cases relating to last week’s protests, but a court ordered his judicial custody till the moving of bail applications in all the cases.
“Imran Khan’s counsels Barrister Salman Safdar, Salman Akram Raja, Usman Riaz Gill and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, along with his family members, will meet him today,” the PTI said in a statement.
Separately, PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi was brought from Lahore to Adiyala jail in Rawalpindi to be presented before a judge in a case relating to violent protests in the country by PTI supporters on May 9, 2023, according to Khan’s party.
“After being handed over to jail authorities, we are hopeful his meetings with his legal team and party leaders will resume accordingly,” it added.
Both Khan and Qureshi have been in jail since August last year and entangled in a slew of legal cases, which they say were politically motivated to keep the party out of power.
The PTI party has staged several protests this year to demand the release of Khan and to challenge results of the Feb. 8 national election, which it says were manipulated to favor its opponents. The Pakistani government and election authorities deny this.
Last week’s protests were by far the largest to grip the capital since the poll and the Pakistani government said they caused Rs192 billion per day indirect losses to the economy.
Ex-PM Khan booked in six new cases relating to Islamabad protests — party
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Ex-PM Khan booked in six new cases relating to Islamabad protests — party
- The protests resulted in clashes that Pakistan’s government says killed three paramilitary soldiers and a policeman
- Khan’s party has held several protests this year to demand his release from prison and to challenge Feb. 8 poll results
Pakistan launches double-decker buses in Karachi after 65 years to tackle transport woes
- Karachi citizens will be able to travel in double-decker buses from Jan. 1, says Sindh government
- City faces mounting transport challenges such as lack of buses, traffic congestion, poorly built roads
ISLAMABAD: The government in Sindh province on Wednesday launched double-decker buses in the provincial capital of Karachi after a gap of 65 years, vowing to improve public transport facilities in the metropolis.
Double-decker buses are designed to carry more passengers than single-deck vehicles without taking up extra road space. The development takes place amid increasing criticism against the Sindh government regarding Karachi’s mounting public transport challenges and poor infrastructural problems.
Pakistan’s largest city by population faces severe transportation challenges due to overcrowding in buses, traffic congestion and limited bus options. Commuters, as a result, rely on private vehicles or unregulated transport options that are often unsafe and expensive.
“Double-decker buses have once again been introduced for the people of Karachi after 65 years,” a statement issued by the Sindh information ministry said.
Sindh Transportation Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah inaugurated the bus service. The ministry said the facility will be available to the public starting Jan. 1.
The statement highlighted that new electric bus routes will also be launched across the entire province starting next week. It added that the aim of introducing air-conditioned buses, low-fare services, and fare subsidies is to make public transport more accessible to the people.
The ministry noted that approximately 1.5 million people travel daily in Karachi using the People’s Bus Service, while around 75,000 passengers use the Orange Line and Green Line BRT services.
“With the integration of these routes, efforts are being made to benefit up to 100,000 additional people,” the ministry said.
