Imran Khan Calls for Rally, Threatens Civil Disobedience Over Crackdown on Protests

Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has urged his supporters to stage a rally in Peshawar on 13 December, threatening to launch a civil disobedience movement the following day if his demands are not met. 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Khan called for the release of all detained political workers and a judicial investigation into the deaths of 12 supporters during a protest march in Islamabad on 25 November. He also demanded accountability for the violence on 9 May 2022, which he claimed led to the deaths of eight individuals. 

“If these two demands are not met, a civil disobedience movement will start from December 14, and the government will be held responsible for any consequences,” Khan warned. 

The government, however, denies any fatalities during the November 25 protest and alleges that Khan’s supporters attacked military installations during the May 9 incidents last year. 

Khan, 72, was indicted on Thursday on charges of orchestrating the May 9 violence, to which he pleaded not guilty. The indictment is one of numerous cases brought against the former cricket star since his imprisonment late last year. 

Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party maintain that the charges are politically motivated, accusing the military of conspiring to sideline him after his falling out with army generals ahead of his removal from office in 2022.

The army has categorically denied these allegations. 

The probable rally in Peshawar, capital of the PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is expected to intensify the ongoing political standoff as Khan’s supporters prepare to escalate pressure on the government.  

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