Imran, others booked for riots, NA will decide about elections, Pak PM

In Pakistan, the Islamabad police on Thursday booked PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other leaders of his party in two separate cases over allegations of arson and vandalism in the capital the previous night. A first information report (FIR) was registered at 1:50am at Kohsar police station over the complaint of Sub-Inspector (SI) Asif Raza under Sections 109 (abetment), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public service), 188 (disobedience), 353 (assault on public servant), 427 (causing damage) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The second FIR was registered at 3:20am on the complaint of SI Ghulam Sarwar under the same sections as the prior FIR. Sarwar claimed that he and other police officers were on duty at Express Chowk when at 12:30am, 100-150 PTI protesters — equipped with rods and inflammatory materials — chanted slogans, incited people and set fire to the trees and Metro Bus station near Geo Chowk, along with smashing mirrors of Geo News' office. The FIR filed on SI Sarwar's complaint named Imran as well as Asad Umar, Imran Ismail, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Ali Amin Gandapur, Ali Nawaz Awan among others. SI Sarwar said as the police tried to disperse the crowd, the PTI workers resorted to pelting stones and also damaged a government bus. He added that 39 individuals were subsequently arrested.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ruled out the notion of receiving "dictation" from PTI Chairman Imran Khan and stressed that the National Assembly would make decisions regarding the date of the next general elections. Although the prime minister said he "refuses to be dictated" during his hard-hitting speech in the NA, he did not rule out holding talks with the PTI after the party's long march and rallies across the country — ones that led to chaos and compelled the government to summon the army in Islamabad. Addressing the lower house hours after the PTI chairman issued a six-day ultimatum to announce a date for the elections, the prime minister said holding talks is the ultimate weapon of politicians. "The doors for talks are open; I can form a committee."