Imran Khan says ‘undeclared martial law’ in Pakistan; files plea in Supreme Court

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 25 filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the deployment of the army to aid the civilian administration in some provinces, terming it as “undeclared martial law” in the coup-prone country.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 25 filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the deployment of the army to aid the civilian administration in some provinces, terming it as “undeclared martial law” in the coup-prone country.

Mr. Khan moved the Supreme Court of Pakistan against Shehbaz Sharif's government that invoked Article 245 in several provinces including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Islamabad — the Federal Capital Territory.

Under Article 245 of Pakistan's Constitution, the army can be called in to aid the civil administration to defend the country.

In his petition, the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief urged the court to take notice of the martial law-like situation in parts of the country and the ongoing aggressive crackdown on his party.

Mr. Khan said that the arrests, investigations and trials of citizens under the Army Act 1952 were “unconstitutional and void and of no legal effect and amounts to negation of the Constitution, the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.”

“The dictated exercise of this power by the federal cabinet in the absence of objective conditions for the exercise of that power is clearly violative of the fundamental rights,” the petition said.

He said that the “dismantling of PTI through forcible quitting of party membership and office are unconstitutional and void being against Article 17 of the Constitution,” the Dawn newspaper reported.