Islamabad: To protest the opposition politician's arrest earlier this month, state assets and military installations were attacked by rioters, according to Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who on Thursday referred to former Prime Minister Imran Khan as a "instigator" and did not rule out the possibility of a military court hearing his case.
Following Khan's arrest on May 9 in connection with a land fraud case, his supporters staged days-long violent protests during which they set fire to government and private vehicles as well as military facilities.
Following the arrest of thousands of Khan's supporters as well as many of his closest associates, the army declared that those found responsible for the violence would be tried in accordance with the Army Act and other pertinent Pakistani laws.
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This week, the Shehbaz Sharif administration also revealed that it was thinking about outlawing the PTI.
The Pakistani defence minister said only those suspects against whom "absolutely foolproof or ironclad evidence" of instigating attacks on military installations was found would be tried under army laws in an exclusive interview with Arab News on Thursday.
According to that law, "very, very few people will be tried," he declared.
"Perhaps two, three, or four people who were in charge of or encouraging those people."
The minister made his comments as a Pakistani court in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday delivered 16 civilians to the military for trial regarding their alleged participation in the violent protests in support of Khan.
The possibility of Khan being tried under the Army Act and appearing before a military court was also left open by the defence minister.
He is a provocateur, Asif declared. "Evidence must be evaluated, and the government's solicitors or legal advisers will investigate it."
In response to his statement on Wednesday that the government was considering a ban on the PTI, Asif compared the violence of May 9 to 9/11 in the US and claimed that the "unimaginable" attacks on military properties were the reason the issue of a ban on the party came up.
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"It is not expected of a Pakistani, a Pakistani political party, or a Pakistani group, never — at least I could not imagine that supporters of a political party led by its leader (Khan), or rather manipulated by the leader, their political followers, he told them to attack military installations," Asif said.
He did, however, add that if the government decided to begin the process of banning the PTI, the parliament would be consulted.
"There is a process (of banning a party)," the minister said. "We will try to bring it to the parliament whenever this process starts, if it starts, and obviously, there could be judicial procedure also for that."
Asif continued, "But everyone has a red line, even individuals like me or institutions or countries, and when those red lines are crossed, one has to react to that." He added that he personally was not in favour of outlawing political parties.
The minister rejected the idea that Khan's top advisers leaving his party was an effort to "dismantle" the PTI in his comments.
According to Khan, the government and military are coercing his associates to leave the PTI before elections that are scheduled for later this year.
This week, in what many perceived as a softening of his stance, Khan declared he was ready to set up a committee to hold talks with "powerful people," most likely referring to the military with whom he is locked in an increasingly dangerous standoff.
The cricketing legend-turned-politician was elected in a 2018 general election that many people believe was rigged in his favour by the military; both parties deny this accusation. However, after being ousted from office last April in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, the politician has had a very public falling out with the army.
When asked if the government was prepared to accept Khan's most recent offer for talks, Asif said, "We need a broader consensus between different powerhouses that are part of our ruling elite or power structure. The judiciary, military establishment, parliament, and political parties, including Khan's PTI, should be involved in forging the consensus.
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On the majority of the issues, the defence minister stated that there must be a national consensus. We need a new social contract, not agreement among the politicians or a few other institutions like the judiciary or establishment.