Fresh Crackdown Launched Against Imran Khan's Party Leaders After Pakistan General Elections

Tensions escalated between Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the military establishment following the party securing a significant share of seats in the general elections.

Tensions escalated between Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the military establishment following the party securing a significant share of seats in the general elections.

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New Delhi: A fresh crackdown allegedly led by the Pakistan Army has been launched against the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, purportedly to put pressure on the winners in the recent elections into shifting their allegiance to parties with military backing, news agency PTI reported. Tensions escalated between Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the military establishment following the party's substantial victory in the general elections on February 8, as per the report. 

Police have arrested independent candidates supported by PTI and conducted raids on their properties throughout Punjab province, PTI reported citing its sources. Arrest warrants have also been issued for PTI-backed candidates nominated for the positions of chief minister in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Additionally, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has summoned Imran Khan's sister Aleema Khan on a charge of inciting the public against the state, PTI reported.

Omar Ayub, the PTI's Prime Ministerial candidate, secured a pre-arrest bail from a local court to forestall potential arrest in any unforeseen case, preventing him from participating in parliamentary proceedings. This move was seen as a strategy to counter Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's candidate, Shehbaz Sharif, in the race for prime minister.

Omar stated that PTI-backed MNA (Member of the National Assembly) from Sialkot, Aslam Ghumman had been abducted by unknown people, referring to intelligence agencies. "Ghumman is being forced to leave PTI and join PML-N. Condemn this rigging process and enforced disappearances in the strongest words possible," Ayub wrote on X.

In Lahore, police arrested PTI-backed Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA)-elect, Ahmar Rasheed Bhatti, from Raiwind in connection with riot cases on May 9. This action by the police came while the PTI was celebrating Bhatti's victory at his residence. Numerous military and state establishments, including the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the ISI building in Faisalabad, were set ablaze and vandalised by several PTI activists during unprecedented violence following Khan's arrest in a corruption case on May 9 of the previous year, PTI reported.

Similarly, Punjab police raided the factories, mills, and warehouses of PTI-backed MNAs-elect from Gujranwala, Mobeen Arif Jutt, and Ehsanullah Virk, and sealed their properties. 

Fresh warrants were issued for PTI leader Aslam Iqbal in connection with the May 9 cases. Iqbal is the PTI candidate for Punjab chief minister, competing against PML-N's Maryam Nawaz.

Imran Khan, the PTI founder, has been in jail since August last year and was recently sentenced to a 31-year prison term in three cases. He faces over 200 cases in total.