Federal ministers charged under terrorism over hate campaign against Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: The police in Lahore have charged federal ministers Javed Latif and Marriyum Aurangzeb under terrorism provisions for launching a hate campaign by deploying religionĀ as a political tool to target former prime minister Imran Khan.

The first information report (FIR) was registered by a local cleric at the Green Town police station. The report was lodged under sections 9 (punishment for acts intended or likely to stir up sectarian hatred) and 11X-3 (responsibility for creating civil commotion) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Sohail Khan, managing director of Pakistan Television, and Rashid Baig, controller programme, have also been nominated.

The complaint said a press conference wherein Latif targeted Khan was broadcasted live on state-run television.

In the presser, Latif had accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chair of ā€œattacking the basic principles of Islamā€ by ā€œsupportingā€ the Ahmadiyya minority community during his time in the office of the prime minister.

ā€œWhen Imran made the Naya Pakistan, units of Qadianis became active in Karachi [ā€¦] Did Imran not give interviews to the foreign media in which he said that Qadianis will be given religious freedom,ā€ Latif had said.

The complainant claimed Latif made the controversial remarks at the behest of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership, as well as Aurangzeb, in order to spread religious hatred against Khan.

He demanded legal action against the top PML-N leadership and those nominated in the complaint.

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