Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest sparks massive protests

The dramatic arrest of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan sparked demonstrations, escalating political turmoil and confrontation between the country’s civilian and military leaders.

Violent clashes have broken out across Pakistan between police and angry supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan after he was arrested on May 9 from the Islamabad court premises.

How Khan was arrested?

On Tuesday afternoon, Khan was appearing in court on charges of corruption, which he says are politically motivated. All of a sudden, a contingent of paramilitary force arrived at Islamabad High Court premises and dozens of officers detained the 70-year-old politician, who was taken into a vehicle and driven away.

“Khan went into the biometric office for the biometrics. The rangers went there, they broke the windows, they hit Khan on the head with a baton,” said Raja Mateen, a member of Imran Khan’s legal team, Raja Mateen. He added that undue force had been used against him at the court.

The Islamabad police chief later said in court that the paramilitary force called Rnagers locally were operating on an arrest warrant by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the country’s anti-graft agency.

Govt says Khan arrested in corruption case

Khan’s arrest comes a day after the country’s military condemned his repeated accusations against senior military officer of trying to engineer his assassination. However, the government said the arrest is connected to graft case.

A statement from the police said the arrest of Khan had been ordered because he was accused of “corruption and corrupt practices”.

“Imran Khan has been arrested because he was being sought in a graft case,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told a news conference. He alleged Pakistan’s treasury had lost millions of dollars while Khan was in office due to illegal purchases of lands from a business tycoon. Khan as termed the case politically-motivated.

Law Minister Azam Tarar said Khan was arrested because he was not cooperating with the investigations.

The graft case is one of more than a hundred registered against Imran Khan since his ouster in April 2022.

Context: Khan was ousted as prime minister in April 2022 in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Since then, Khan has held massive countrywide protests calling for snap general elections. He has not slowed his campaign despite an assassination attempt on him during a protest march.

Party reaction on arrest

Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) has called on supporters to “shut down Pakistan” in a show of opposition, calling the arrest a “black day for our democracy and country”.

“It’s your time, people of Pakistan. Khan has always stood for you, now it’s time to stand for him,” PTI officials wrote on Twitter.

Countrywide protests

The sudden arrest of the country’s most popular leader according to several polls has led to widespread protests across Pakistan.

Hundreds of Khan supporters blocked streets and major highways as violent protests broke out in several cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi. Police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrations.

At least one person was reported killed in clashes between protesters and the military in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.

On the streets of Islamabad, hundreds of protesters blocked one of the main highways in and out of the capital. Islamabad police said five of their personnel were injured in clashes with protesters, while at least 43 PTI activists were arrested.

Protests outside Pakistan

Khan’s arrest has also led to protests from his supporters around the world. In the United States, protests were reported in Times Square in New York City. Pakistani expats also protests in huge numbers in Canada, UK and Australia.

A large crowd gathered outside exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s house in London. Thousands of Pakistani Canadians gathered at Mississauga Celebration Square in a massive rally. 

Protests will continue: PTI leaders

“We continue to call PTI family workers, supporters and the people of Pakistan onto the streets for peaceful protest against this unconstitutional behaviour,” PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a video on Twitter.

On May 10, Qureshi said the party’s senior leadership was in Islamabad to meet Khan but were not allowed. He said they would approach the Supreme Court to challenge an Islamabad High Court order that deemed Khan’s arrest legal.

Social media remains blocked in Pakistan

Social media users in Pakistan continue to face difficulties accessing major platformsm websites and apps.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed it had restricted access to social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram under orders from the Ministry of Interior. The blockage began on Tuesday, and users continue to complain

Amnesty International has condemned the move and demanded authorities reverse their decision.