Islamabad: As jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s followers are planning nationwide protests, the Shehbaz Sharif government has created a new paramilitary force, prompting fears that it could be used to crush protests and harass political opponents.
Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced nationwide protests starting August 5 — the second anniversary of Imran’s arrest.
President Asif Ali Zardari has signed off the proposal to convert Frontier Constabulary (FC) from a border security force largely deployed in the country’s tribal northwest into the Federal Constabulary, which would have a nationwide mandate of maintaining law and order, supplementing the law enforcement agencies, and carrying out a range of duties, according to Dawn newspaper.
The PTI has already voiced concerns that the new force could be unleashed on political opponents. The new force “should not be used as a gimmick to silence political opponents, as has been previously witnessed when the government applied such laws against a large number of the PTI leadership and supporters”, said PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, according to Reuters.
For more than two years, the Sharif-led government has been cracking down on the PTI, and its chief, Imran Khan, has been in jail since August 2023. While the PTI has accused the government of a systematic crackdown, the government has accused the PTI of engaging in violence in the name of political activities.
| Reham Khan, former wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, is set to launch her new political party in Pakistan, naming it "Pakistan Republic Party". Khan, while making the announcement at the Karachi Press Club, said that her party would act as the people's voice and would also hold the ruling elite accountable. |
