Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, was arrested and dragged from the Islamabad high court on Tuesday as he appeared to face charges in multiple graft cases, a dramatic escalation of political tensions that sparked violent demonstrations by his angry supporters in several major cities.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, who travelled from Lahore to Islamabad, was arrested after the Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khan’s security staff.
The arrest of the 70-year-old PTI chairman comes a day after the powerful army accused him of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI.
Top updates on Imran Khan’s arrest:
1. At least one person was reported killed in clashes between protesters and the military in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, with another five people wounded there, while about 15 injuries were reported amid similar violence in Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Lahore. Police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrations.
2. Pakistan’s telecommunication authority said regulators blocked social media, including Twitter, and internet service was suspended in Islamabad and other cities. Classes at some private schools were cancelled for Wednesday.
3. About 4,000 of Khan’s supporters stormed the official residence of the top regional commander in Lahore, smashing windows and doors, damaging furniture and staging a sit-in as troops there retreated to avoid violence. The protesters also burned police vehicles and blocked key roads.
4. Protesters also smashed the main gate of the Pakistan Army’s headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where troops exercised restraint. Hundreds of demonstrators shouted pro-Khan slogans as they moved toward the sprawling building.
5. The Islamabad high court summoned top officials and police officers after paramilitary Rangers dramatically arrested Imran Khan in a corruption case from the court premises but reserved its ruling.
6. Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader of the PTI, denounced the arrest of the 71-year-old former cricket star as “an abduction.” Pakistan’s independent GEO TV broadcast a video of Khan being hauled away.
7. Khan was taken to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, for questioning at the offices of the National Accountability Bureau, according to police and government officials. He also was to undergo a routine medical checkup, police said.
8. Pakistan interior minister Rana Sanaullah said Khan was arrested for causing a loss to the national treasury in a corruption case. Sanaullah said Imran was arrested by officials of the National Accountability Bureau specifically in the Al-Qadir Trust case, adding that there were “dozens” of other cases with corruption inquiries in progress against the former premier.
9. Sources told news agency ANI that Indian defence forces are keeping a close watch on the situation in Pakistan. Strong vigil being maintained by the forces along the Line of Control and the international border, the defence sources reportedly said.
10. Khan told his supporters in a pre-recorded video that he will be “closed inside in an unlawful case” and that he “may not get chance to address them again”.
(With inputs from agencies)
