Police clash with protesters in Pakistan after Imran Khan was arrested
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Protesters loyal to Khan took out their anger on the military: storming the residence of the Pakistani corps commander in Lahore and surrounding the army's general headquarters in Rawalpindi.
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Police fire tear gas to disperse supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan protesting against the arrest of their leader, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 9, 2023 (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)
After months of political unrest, protests erupted all across Pakistan against the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested.
Khan was arrested during a court hearing in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. His arrest followed shortly after the Pakistani army had rebuked his allegations about the involvement of a senior official in the failed assassination attempt which targeted him earlier this year.
The rebuke late Monday underscored how far Khan's relations have deteriorated with the military. Back in 2018, the military had backed Khan's ascension to power but withdrew their support.
پوری قوم کا فوری مطالبہ !!#ReleaseImranKhan pic.twitter.com/By4jte1OvV
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 9, 2023
"The timing of the arrest is striking, The senior army leadership is uninterested in repairing the rift between itself and Khan, and so with this arrest, it's likely sending a message that the gloves are very much off," said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center.
Protesters loyal to Khan took out their anger on the military: storming the residence of the Pakistani corps commander in Lahore and surrounding the army's general headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Police fired tear gas and water cannons at the former PM supporters in Islamabad, Peshawar, and other cities.
Footage circulating on national television show Khan being apprehended by dozens of paramilitary rangers from the Islamabad high court and getting escorted into an armored car.
"As we reached the court's biometric room to mark the attendance, dozens of rangers attacked us. They beat him and dragged him out," said Ali Bukhari a member of Khan's Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Khan was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the country's top anti-corruption body.
"This arrest is in accordance with the law," he said. "NAB is an independent body and not under government control."
Soon after the arrest, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf officials released a video of Khan coming out in support of true freedom. The video was apparently pre-recorded in anticipation of the case where Imran gets arrested.
"One thing that should become clear for all of you from this is that fundamental rights in Pakistan, the rights given to us by our constitution and democracy, have been buried." Imran Khan was quoted saying in the pre-recorded video.
"Imran Khan is our red line. Even a scratch on him is not acceptable. We will sacrifice our lives, but we will free Imran Khan," one of the protesters was quoted as saying.
Pakistan's former PM Imran Khan arrested in Islamabad
Earlier today, Imran Khan, Pakistan's former prime minister, was detained by the military when he appeared in court in Islamabad to face corruption accusations.
According to Fawad Chaudhry, a senior official with Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, the 72-year-old was detained on the court grounds on Tuesday by operatives from the National Accountability Bureau, the country's anti-corruption organization.
Shortly after Khan passed past the entrance of the Islamabad High Court, paramilitary men and armored personnel carriers followed him. Armored trucks blocked the gate, and Khan was hauled away under tight protection.
Khan was defeated in a no-confidence vote in April of last year. During an interview with Al Mayadeen in March, the former Prime Minister proclaimed that his government was removed "through a conspiracy."
