Imran Khan Sues the Pakistani Government

By Mahvish Akhtar

On June 1, 2023, Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaaf Chief Imran Khan and his party is filing lawsuits against the Health Minister of Pakistan, doctors at NAB, PIMS, and some government officials. The Reports said a legal team under barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi had started preparations.

Imran Khan has fired back in a big way against the government as the stakes get higher for

him and his party. In an address to the nation on the 1st of June, on his party’s official

YouTube channel, since PEMRA has banned his appearances and speeches on Pakistani Media,

Khan said he is filing a wrongful conviction suit against NAB (National Accountability Bureau) chairman for 15 billion rupees ($52 million) and defamation lawsuits against multiple government officials.

 He explained that NAB attacked his fundamental rights by (allegedly) breaking into his home without a warrant and harassing his family.  Many NAB laws were broken in attempts to arrest him. According to records, Khan continued; on April 28, 2023, the case was changed into an investigation from an inquiry. By law, he should have been notified. He claims no one informed him or discussed why that happened. “I read it in the News Papers,” he said.

“There were no warrants that I knew about or was told about. I saw the reports in jail; my warrant was out on May 1st.”  The former PM of Pakistan went on to say that he was arrested in the courthouse. He wasn’t trying to flee the country or run away from the system. “Everyone knew I was going there; I had made a video before leaving for court.” Imran Khan questioned the need for all the theatrics at the courthouse that day. He asked why so many people had to get hurt, property had to be destroyed, and special police forces had to be brought in as if to catch a criminal who had been eluding the law for years.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif responded to his predecessor by maintaining that he was “misleading and making baseless allegations” of “rights abuses” and that it was a strategy to distract attention from his involvement in May 9’s events.

The Pakistani PM wrote on Twitter, “Make no mistake about the evil intent behind Imran [Khan’s] latest ploy to defame our law enforcement agencies and police. Yet again he is making misleading and baseless allegations of the “rights abuses” just to distract attention for his culpability in the tragic events of May 9.”  Shahbaz Sharif continued that he is not surprised by PTI Chairman’s “antics”; everything about him is “hate, division and lie.” Sharif stressed in the tweet that Khan wants to fool people by spreading fake news and should not be taken seriously.

However, Imran Khan seems primed. He made it clear in his speech that he knew his rights.  Khan said that his arrest would be lawful on four counts; If notices had been given and he was non-responded, which he claims was not the case and can be proven. If the person absconded, Khan, on the other hand, regularly attended his hearings and was present in the courthouse at the time of his arrest.  If he had been changing or withholding evidence, according to PTI and Imran Khan, the evidence for al-Qadir is in court and with the lawyers.

Imran Khan claimed his name and his charity work had been affected. Charging him with corruption means people worldwide who have trusted him with their money and assets for charity projects, relying on his name and legacy, will think twice. He also emphasized that members of his team and followers are being forced to quit. Many are in hiding.

Others are rotting in jail, facing torture, including women. Everyone condemns the events of May ninth, but there should be a private investigation, he said to Pakistanis. He also said that he would forgive the crimes committed on his person, but what about those jailed, tortured, and abducted or in hiding? Will they be able to forgive?

Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaaf claims that female workers arrested during the May 9th chaos are being physically and sexually abused in jails. During a Press Conference, Interior Minister of Pakistan Rana Sana Ullah denied these claims and accused Imran Khan of conspiring to have his men commit “rape acts” on women in jails and blamed it on law enforcement. Sana Ullah said the proof was in intercepted phone calls and would be released soon.

In response, Khan tweeted, “If there were any doubts about women being mistreated in jails, this press conference from this certified criminal, referring to Sannah-Ullah, should remove all such doubts. The PTI leader has also filed a defamation lawsuit against the Health Minister of Pakistan for accusing him of drug and alcohol abuse. PTI has announced, “Abdul Qadir Patel’s embarrassing press conference and baseless accusations will be dealt with under the defamation law.”

Meanwhile, Pakistani PM Shahbaz Sharif Left for Turkey on June 2nd, 2023, to attend the inauguration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Leaving for Turkey today at the invitation of my brother, HE President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to attend his inauguration ceremony,” Shahbaz Sharif tweeted upon departure. The Prime minister wrote that he would convey the warmest greetings on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan.

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was invited by Jordan’s royal family to attend the royal wedding.  He reached Amman on Thursday morning, June 1st, 2023. On June 5th, the foreign minister plans to head to Iraq’s capital Baghdad. According to the Foreign Office’s spokesperson, Bhutto was invited by his counterpart from Iraq. The office elaborated that he would also meet with other government officials besides meeting his counterpart.

More PTI workers and leaders have been arrested. Many are disappearing; it is unclear whether they are being abducted or have gone into hiding for fear of their safety. Many PTI leaders were put on No-Fly lists, including the former PM. He responded with, “I’m not going anywhere.” Khan has said that elections need to happen as soon as possible. He also claimed that if elections were held today, he and his party would win by a landslide.