Lawmakers from the Imran Khan party in Pakistan have been charged with terrorism offenses

Police have charged numerous legislators and leaders of the party of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan with various terrorism offenses following their arrest following a rally they organized to demand his release on Wednesday.

According to police officer Zafar Khan and a party official, the lawmakers have been in police detention since their arrest following the violent rally on Sunday. They will remain in custody until September 18 for the purpose of investigation.

Khan, a former cricket hero, has been incarcerated for more than a year since his overthrow in 2022. This occurred as a result of a dispute with powerful military generals, which has resulted in the most severe political unrest in decades in the nation of 241 million people.

The police summary of the offenses, which was viewed by Reuters, indicated that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan’s party holds a majority government, is among those facing the charges.

The allegations, according to a spokesperson for the Islamabad police, included the assault of law enforcement officials and violations of law and order, which are classified as terrorism offenses. He declined to disclose the quantity of individuals in custody or provide additional information.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has reported that nearly a dozen of its parliamentarians have been apprehended in Islamabad. The party stated that some individuals had sought refuge in parliament to elude the police, who had entered the building to apprehend some of them.

The party has declared nationwide demonstrations on Friday to protest the repression.

In February, the PTI-supported candidates secured the most seats in a general election; however, they were unable to secure the necessary majority to establish a government. Instead of establishing a bloc under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Khan’s opponents formed a coalition.

The Pakistan Election Commission denies the charge that the elections were manipulated to prevent Khan from assuming power, as reported by PTI.