Pakistan court says military trials can resume for 103 supporters of Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s top court on Wednesday allowed military courts to resume the trials of more than 100 supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of attacking military installations during violent demonstrations that broke out following Khan’s arrest in May.

The latest order by the Supreme Court came less than two months after five judges on the same court stopped the trial of 103 civilians who were arrested as part of a crackdown on Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

The violence subsided only after Khan was released on orders of Pakistan’s Supreme Court.

Khan, 71, is currently serving three sentences at a high-security prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. He was removed as prime minister in April 2022 following a vote of no confidence in Parliament.

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Though Khan is also accused of inciting people to violence, he is not facing military trial.

According to the prosecution, Khan was indicted by a special court on charges of revealing official secrets on Wednesday, but his lawyer Salman Safdar told reporters that his indictment was delayed after the court adjourned the case until Thursday.

It was not immediately clear what caused confusion among Khan’s lawyers, as the prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi told reporters that Khan entered a not guilty plea when charges were read out during the court hearing at Adiyala prison.

The case is related to Khan’s speech at a rally after his ouster in 2022, when he held up a confidential diplomatic letter, claiming it was proof that his ouster was a U.S. conspiracy, allegedly executed by the military and the government in Pakistan. Washington and Pakistani officials have denied the claim.

The document — dubbed Cipher — was apparently diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.