PAKISTAN: Imran Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistan, was detained in front of Islamabad’s High Court. Khan was testifying in court regarding allegations of corruption, which he claims are politically motivated.
The video showed paramilitary men holding Khan after he entered the court complex before driving him away. He was ousted as prime minister in April of last year, and since then, he has been pushing for early elections.
General elections are scheduled to take place later this year. The arrest of Khan was mandated, according to a statement from the inspector general of Punjab police, because he was suspected of “corruption and corrupt practises.”
The Pakistani newspaper reported that the case involves allegations regarding the allotment of land in the so-called Al-Qadir Trust, which belongs to Khan and his wife. Khan refutes breaking any law.
In a video message posted by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party prior to his detention, Khan said he was prepared for what lay ahead. The message was recorded while he was travelling to Islamabad.
He said, “Come to me with warrants; my lawyers will be there. If you want to send me to jail, I am prepared for it.”
The PTI has urged its followers to demonstrate; reports of demonstrations in Lahore and Peshawar have been made. For the former PM’s court appearance, security was tight in the heart of Islamabad.
In the hours since Khan was detained, violence has been reported in several cities, including Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar.
Hundreds of demonstrators have shut down a major route leading into and out of Islamabad on the city’s streets. People set fires, flung rocks, and tore down overpasses and street signs. No police or authorities were seen during the roughly hour-long event.
Demonstrators said that they were furious about Imran Khan’s detention. A protester said, “This is absolutely the last straw. What else can we do? What else is left in Pakistan? We have never said a word against the army; I wish we had.”
Since Khan was ousted from power, he has been the target of a dozen cases. His supporters have previously obstructed attempts by the security forces to detain him at his residence in Lahore.
He was elected prime minister in 2018, but after a disagreement with Pakistan’s army and a slew of defections, he lost his majority in parliament. In April 2022, four years into his term, he was removed from office after failing to win a vote of confidence. Since then, he has been a vociferous critic of the national government and army.
In October, he was barred from holding public office after being accused of falsely providing information concerning gifts from foreign dignitaries and the proceeds of their alleged sale.
In the following month, while leading a protest march, he managed to survive a gun attack on his convoy. On Monday, the military issued a warning to him against making “baseless allegations” after he again claimed that a senior officer was plotting to assassinate him.
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