By Ashley Cole-
Police in Pakistan have filed charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, 17 of his aides and scores of supporters, accusing them of terrorism and other offences.
The move on Sunday came after the ousted premier’s followers clashed with security forces in the country’s capital of Islamabad a day earlier.
Petrol bombs and stones were hurled at police in Pakistan as they raided the home of former prime minister Imran Khan, during which shots were also fired.
Mr Khan’s followers came to blows with police outside a court for several hours on Saturday, where the 70-year-old former prime minister was due to appear to face corruption charges.
Several cars and motorcycles were torched at a police check point with several police officers inured. Police said 59 of Mr Khan’s supporters were arrested during the violence that saw over 50 police officers injured at a police check point
The case filed on Sunday also accuses former and current lawmakers, former ministers, a former national assembly speaker and scores of Khan’s supporters.
The charges include terrorism, obstructing police officers in carrying out their tasks, attacks on police, wounding officers and threatening their lives.
The developments are the latest involving increasing violence surrounding Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April.
Since then, the former cricket star turned Islamist politician has claimed – without offering evidence – that his removal from power was illegal and a conspiracy by the government of his successor, Shahbaz Sharif, and Washington.
Both Mr Sharif and the United States have denied the allegations.
Violence erupted again outside Mr Khan’s home in the eastern city of Lahore, where officers and Mr Khan’s supporters had clashed for two straight days in a stand-off earlier last week, after police arrived in the upscale neighbourhood to arrest Khan.
Police stormed Mr Khan’s residence, and later said they arrested 61 suspects and seized petrol bombs, weapons and ammunition.
Mr Khan was not at home, having travelled to Islamabad for the court appearance. After he failed to appear in court, the judge postponed that hearing until March 30.
In a recorded video message broadcast on Sunday, Mr Khan blamed police for his failure to appear in court on Saturday, saying he never left his vehicle as the police were lobbing tear gas at his convoy and supporters.
Without offering anything to back his claim, Mr Khan said his opponents are bent on either putting him in jail or killing him, and denounced the raid on his home in Lahore as “shameful tactics, conspiracies and plans”.