NEW YORK: A day after police filed terrorism charges against former prime minister Imran Khan, escalating political tensions in the country, António Guterres, secretary general of the UN, urged “calm, de-escalation of tensions and respect for rule of law”.
The charges followed a speech the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chair gave in Islamabad on Saturday in which he vowed to sue top officers of Islamabad police and a judge, and alleged that Shehbaz Gill, his chief of staff, had been tortured and sexually abused after his arrest.
Khan himself has not publicly spoken about the latest charges against him. However, a court in Islamabad issued a “protective bail” for Khan for the next three days, preventing police from arresting him over the charges.
Subsequently, hundreds of Khan’s supporters gathered outside his home early on Monday to stop police from arresting him.
“If Imran Khan is arrested […] we will take over Islamabad with people’s power,” Ali Amin Gandapur, a former minister in Khan’s cabinet, threatened in a post on Twitter.
Responding to the situation, which many fear could set off a fresh round of public unrest and violent street protests, a spokesperson for Guterres said he was “aware of the charges brought against former prime minister Imran Khan and emphasises the need for a competent, independent and impartial legal process.”
“He [Guterres] urges calm, lowering of tensions, and respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Stéphane Dujarric added at a regular press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
The UN chief returned to New York over the weekend following a trip to Europe.
Meanwhile, the United States declined to comment on the episode, maintaining it does not side with any political party.
In his daily press conference, Ned Price, a State Department spokesperson, said the United States was “of course” aware of the development but observed this was a matter of Pakistan’s legal and judicial system.
“It is not directly a matter for the United States, and that’s because we don’t have a position on one political candidate or party versus any other political candidate or party.”
He added, however, that Washington supported the “peaceful upholding of democratic, constitutional, and legal principles in Pakistan and around the world.”
