The charges relate to a speech by Mr Khan a day earlier in the capital Islamabad in which he criticized the police for allegedly torturing his aide Shahbaz Gill after he was arrested on sedition charges. The speech blamed the Islamabad police chief and a judge for Mr Gill’s detention and alleged ill-treatment. “You should also get ready as we will take action against you,” Mr Khan announced to the crowd, referring directly to the couple. The former international cricketer also accused the government of blocking YouTube in the country to deny live access to his speech. “The incoming government blocked YouTube in the middle of my speech,” Mr Kan tweeted. While the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has not responded to Mr Khan’s allegation, the Islamabad police have denied allegations that Mr Gill was tortured in custody. He in turn accused Mr Khan of breaching the country’s anti-terror law because his “threats” have led to “fear and terror in the police”. “The manner in which Imran Khan made his speech and the threats he made led to fear and terror among the police, judiciary and common people and damaged the peace of the country,” police said in their charges, according to the Washington Post. Hundreds of supporters of the former prime minister gathered outside his home in Islamabad after news of the investigation broke, vowing to “occupy” the capital if police tried to arrest him. “They will have to run us over before they can get to Khan,” a supporter of Sir Jahan Khan told The Associated Press outside Khan’s hilltop home overlooking the capital, Islamabad. “If Imran Khan is arrested… we will take Islamabad by people power,” a former minister in Khan’s cabinet, Ali Amin Gadapur, threatened in a tweet. The police, who were present at the scene, had to clarify that they were not there to arrest the former leader but to maintain order. Later in the day, a court granted Khan three days of pre-arrest bail, Khan’s lawyer Babar Awan told reporters, after which the protesters began to disperse. Khan continues his aggressive campaign against the Shehbaz Sharif government, accusing it of stealing the premiership with the help of foreign support. The former prime minister has expressed concerns about the censorship of his speeches in the past. Earlier he said the government was “forbidding live coverage” of his speeches and events, many of which he claimed were hugely attended. “This is not only a flagrant violation of free speech, but is negatively impacting the digital media industry and the livelihoods of many,” Mr Khan tweeted about the ban. Mr Khan was ousted in a historic impeachment motion in April this year. It has since stepped up attacks against the successive government in recent months. The country is expected to hold elections early next year.
