Imran says PTI worker killed in police crackdown; 37 cases filed against Khan

The PTI cadre was reportedly killed after police used force while participating in the party rally on Wednesday.

Lahore: Former Prime of Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Thursday said that one of his workers was killed, while several others were seriously injured in police crackdown, reported Dawn. Lashing out at Punjab police for brutality and "custodial murder" of a supporter, Ali Bilal, Imran said that the actions of the caretaker Punjab government were tantamount to "blocking democracy."

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that the party did not cooperate with the provincial government and that their "strange behaviour" led to the incident. Interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered an inquiry into the death, reported Dawn.

In a strong reaction to the event, Imran said, "Ali Bilal unarmed, our dedicated and passionate PTI worker murdered by Punjab police." "Shameful, this brutality on unarmed PTI workers who were coming to attend election rallies. Pakistan is in the grip of murderous criminals. We will file cases against IG, CCPO and others for murder," he added.

Ali Bilal participated in the PTI's rally on Wednesday. In a clash with the police, he was hit by a baton on the head. Earlier, Khan, during his address to the nation, after the crackdown on party workers, announced, "Stop everything. We are not taking out the rally that we were supposed to as, I am saddened to say, that all the moves the government are making are aimed at running away from elections."

The PTI Chairman said that the imported government had launched a crackdown on PTI workers not for the sake of law and order but in an effort to avoid elections in the province, reported Pakistan Today. The PTI chairman said that his party had launched its election campaign with hardly 55 days left for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Earlier, violence flared in the Mall Road neighbourhood of central Lahore between police and supporters of the opposition party, wounding scores of workers, after the interim government of Mohsin Naqvi suspended public gatherings in the provincial capital hours before the opposition party was scheduled to take out a planned election rally.

37 cases against Khan-Imran Khan is facing a total of 37 cases filed against him in different parts of the country, reported The News International. These include litigation, police and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cases and also proceedings launched by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the PTI chief.

According to the litigation status report of Imran Khan provided by Fawad Chaudhry, Khan himself is a petitioner in 19 cases, which have been filed against government departments and individuals. However, there are a total of 37 cases against Khan in which he is directly involved.

According to the report, a total of 21 FIRs are registered against the former prime minister out of which 11 were registered in a single day on May 25, 2022 while eight were registered on May 26. The remaining three FIRs were registered on August 8, reported The News International.

It is important to mention here that the provided list does not include recent cases filed against Imran Khan. Out of the total litigation cases, five are ongoing in the Supreme Court of Pakistan after being filed by Khan against the Federation of Pakistan.(With ANI inputs)