Lahore, Sep 19 (PTI) Two senior PML-N ministers and officials of a state-run television channel were booked under terrorism charges by the Punjab government in Pakistan on Monday for endangering ousted prime minister Imran Khan’s life by calling him a “non-Muslim” and inciting religious hatred against him.
The Lahore’s Green Town police registered an FIR against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb and Mian Javed Latif and Pakistan Television (PTV) Managing Director Sohail Khan and controller programmes Rashid Baig on the complaint of a cleric under the anti-terrorism Act 1997.
According to the FIR, Latif declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Khan a “non-Muslim in a press conference on September 14 and a facilitator of the minority Ahmadi community.” It said Latif held the press conference in collaboration with information minister Aurangzeb and the PTV managing director and the controller programmes.
“By doing so, these ministers and PTV officials spread hatred against PTI chairman Imran Khan and endangered his life,” it said.
The PTI last week lambasted the PMLN-led coalition for ‘stooping too low’ to campaign against Khan on the state-run PTV.
“State-run Pakistan Television has started to distribute religious certificates by questioning if @ImranKhanPTI is not Muslim. Fascist regime,” senior journalist Mubashir Zaidi had said in a tweet.
“When all has failed, PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) has accused Imran Khan of blasphemy – the last resort of the desperate. Now they’re endangering Khan’s life with their methodical viciousness. The nation is watching every shameless shameful act of PDM,” wrote senior journalist Mehr Tarar.
“One of the craziest acts of PDM government was the terrorism allegation against Imran Khan. Today IHC (Islamabad High Court) invalidated it. Now let’s see when the PML-N leaders will stop their blasphemy drama. Priorities? Focus on the dying economy and millions of flood-affected Pakistanis,” she said.
Punjab government’s Home Minister Muhammad Hashim said Latif accused Khan of attacking the basic principles of Islam by supporting the Ahmadi community.
The government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month booked Khan in a terrorism case for ‘threatening’ a female judge and senior police officers in a public rally.
A Pakistani court on Monday ordered that ‘terrorism’ charges against Khan for his remarks against a female judge and senior police officials be dropped.
Khan, 69, was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.
The cricketer-turned-politician, who came to power in 2018, is the only Pakistani Prime Minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament. PTI MZ MRJ MRJ
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.