Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan reiterates he only gave call for a ‘peaceful protest’ before May 9 violence

Islamabad: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Monday once again stated that he had given a call for a "peaceful protest" outside the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi after his similar statement last week was interpreted by his opponents as an admission of guilt.

The 71-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician said this during an informal conversation with journalists at Adiala Jail on the hearing of a new Toshakhana corruption case.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder stood by his statement that he made more than a week ago while talking to journalists that before last year’s May 9 violence, he gave a call for a peaceful protest outside the General Headquarters (GHQ).

Khan alleged that he had evidence that there were plans to kill him outside the Judicial Complex in Islamabad on March 18, 2023.

"I instructed the party to hold a peaceful protest outside GHQ and cantonments if the army and Rangers arrested me," Khan said.

He also claimed his statement about the protest outside GHQ was presented as if “I confessed or committed a crime on May 9”.

To a question about the violence on May 9, Khan said: "The protest wasn't peaceful because it was pre-planned. CCTV footage is not being released because our people are not in it, and it would prove our innocence." He said he would go to court over the missing CCTV footage and to file a case against the paramilitary Rangers for his alleged abduction from the High Court premises.

Khan's supporters staged violent protests after he was arrested on May 9. In the subsequent crackdown, dozens of them were arrested and cases were also registered against Khan for instigating violence.

His previous statement about the GHQ protest was interpreted by his opponents as a confession of his guilt.

Khan also criticised the crackdown on social media, citing the arrest of 75-year-old PTI Secretary General Raof Hasan, who is a cancer patient, and demanded a judicial commission for a transparent investigation.

Khan defended social media as the voice of the democratic public, urging against labelling it as “digital terrorism”. "Without criticism, institutions will be destroyed," he warned.

Khan affirmed that all institutions, including national security agencies, should be open to criticism. He highlighted the support judges receive on social media for ruling in PTI’s favour.

He stressed that the military belongs to Pakistan, not any political party and its alignment with the current government could harm its credibility, economy, and democracy.

"The government fears PTI and wants to dismantle it through the military," Khan claimed.

In response to another question, Khan blamed the establishment for obstructing PTI in the elections and facilitating the swift dismissal of corruption cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Khan announced a big rally in the Swabi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on August 5 when his party announced to hold protests across the country on the completion of his one-year stay in jail.

Khan was arrested from his residence in Lahore on August 5 last year after he was convicted in the Toshakhana case which was filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan against him for hiding sale of gifts he got from the state repository.

Khan’s arrest in the Toshakhana case was later suspended by the Islamabad High Court but he was not released and arrested in other cases. He is still incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala Jail.

The decision to hold a protest on the first anniversary of Khan’s arrest comes after the party failed to stage a protest in Islamabad on Friday after the authorities had banned such demonstrations in the national capital.