Pakistan: Imran Khan booked for threatening judge, police officials

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was booked for threatening a judge and two top police officials in a public meeting held at the F-9 Park late Saturday evening, local media reported. According to The News International, Khan was booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

Meanwhile, Pakistan's media regulatory authority has banned the broadcasting of live speeches of PTI chief Imran Khan for threatening an Islamabad police official and a female magistrate during an address in Islamabad. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said that Imran's recorded speech would only be permitted to be aired after an effective delay mechanism to ensure effective monitoring and editorial control.

"...Chairman PEMRA in view of the above-mentioned background and reasons, in the exercise of delegated powers of the Authority vested in Section 27(a) of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002 as amended by PEMRA (Amendment) Act 2007, hereby prohibits the broadcast of live speech of Mr Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect," the PEMRA said in its notification. PEMRA imposed this ban on all satellite channels hours after he vowed to file cases against Islamabad's inspector-general, deputy inspector general, and female magistrate for "torturing" Shahbaz Gill.

Imran alleged that Gill was "caught and tortured" to send a message and frighten the people that if he could be broken mentally then anyone could, according to Geo News. Earlier on Saturday, Khan connected the current situation in Pakistan to the chief of army staff's appointment and termed it "unfortunate" that everything in the country was happening over one appointment.

Gill was arrested by the police on August 9 after he made controversial remarks against the Pakistan army on television that were deemed as "highly hateful and seditious" by the country's media authority. Imran's close aide was arrested on charges of colluding with a private TV news channel in carrying out anti-state propaganda.