Pakistan's police filed terrorism charges against Imran Khan on Monday as the former prime minister held mass rallies seeking a return to office.
The charges followed a speech Mr Khan gave in Islamabad on Saturday, in which he vowed to sue police officers and a female judge, and claimed a close aide was tortured after his arrest, AP reported.
Mr Khan did not immediately address the charges against him.
Mr Khan also accused the government of temporarily blocking YouTube to stop people watching live footage of his speech at a political rally, Reuters reported.
He has made speeches to gatherings across the South Asian nation as he pushes for new elections after being ousted from power in April through a parliamentary vote.
The YouTube blocking accusation followed a ban on Saturday by the electronic media regulator on the live broadcast of Mr Khan's speeches, referring to what it called his "hate speech" against state institutions.
Pakistan’s opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Mr Khan’s political party, had published videos online showing supporters surrounding his home to potentially stop police from reaching it.
Hundreds remained there early on Monday, AP reported.
Under Pakistan’s legal system, police file what is known as a first information report, detailing the charges against an accused, to a magistrate judge who allows the investigation to move forward.
Typically, police then arrest and question the accused.
The report against Mr Khan includes a testimony from Magistrate Judge Ali Javed, who described being at the Islamabad rally and hearing Mr Khan criticise the inspector general of Pakistan’s police and another judge.
“You also get ready for it, we will also take action against you. All of you must be ashamed," Mr Khan said.
Mr Khan could face several years in prison because of the new charges. He is accused of threatening police officers and the judge.
But he has not been detained on other lesser charges levied against him in his recent campaigning against the government.
In a statement, the PTI said the latest accusations against Mr Khan were "frivolous".
"We have serious reservations on this politically motivated move which leads towards further instability in the country," it said.
Meanwhile, the hundreds of supporters, gathered outside Mr Khan's hilltop mansion in the capital, vowed to prevent his arrest on anti-terrorism accusations, Reuters cited officials of his political party as saying.
They chanted slogans against the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which took over after Mr Khan's ouster.
"If Imran Khan is arrested ... we will take over Islamabad with people's power," a former minister in his cabinet, Ali Amin Gandapur, threatened on Twitter, as some party leaders urged supporters to prepare for mass mobilisation.
Another former ministerial colleague, Murad Saeed, told local television channels that the police had issued orders for Mr Khan's arrest.
Mr Khan's aide, Fawad Chaudhry, told reporters outside an Islamabad court that the party had applied for bail for the leader ahead of any arrest.
The use of anti-terrorism laws as the basis of cases against political leaders is not uncommon in Pakistan, where Mr Khan's government also used them against opponents and critics.
The opposition leaders warned Monday that authorities would cross a "red line" if they arrested Mr Khan, AFP reported.
"Wherever you are, reach Bani Gala today and show solidarity with Imran Khan," tweeted former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, referring to Khan's home. "Imran Khan is our red line."
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
