FILE PHOTO: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in Islamabad, Pakistan June 4, 2021.
Saiyna Bashir | Reuters
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday at a court within the capital Islamabad by paramilitary officers. Footage of the arrest shows dozens of paramilitary personnel surrounding Khan and forcing him into an armored vehicle before being driven away.
Khan, who heads Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), one in every of the country’s largest political parties, was on the Islamabad High Court to attend hearings on his bail requests in corruption cases against him, which he claims are politically motivated.
The arrest follows a recent tense exchange between Khan, the previous national cricket captain who became Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018, and the country’s formidable army.
After surviving an assassination attempt last November, Khan accused a senior military officer and Pakistan’s current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, of being behind the assassination.
A military spokesman criticized Khan this week for “highly irresponsible and baseless allegations against a senior military officer with none evidence”, to which Khan responded in a video statement on Tuesday: “That is my army and my Pakistan. I haven’t got to lie.”
A military spokesman warned against legal motion if Khan upheld his accusations. Regarding the potential for an arrest, Khan said: “If anyone has a warrant, they need to bring it on to me. Bring the warrant, my lawyer will likely be there. I’m able to go to jail myself.”
The PTI and Khan’s supporters are calling for Pakistan to be shut down, blocking roads and organizing mass protests to demand his release.
“Your time has come, people of Pakistan. Khan has at all times supported you, now it is time to arise for him. #ReleaseImranKhan,” one tweet from the official PTI website read, together with a graphic reading “PAKISTAN SHUTDOWN.”
Khan, 70, who stays extremely popular in a rustic of 230 million people, was faraway from power in April 2022 after a vote of no confidence by opposition MPs for allegations of corruption and unconstitutional activities. The allegations were backed by the country’s Supreme Court.
Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan (C) waves to supporters of his party during a rally in Islamabad, May 26, 2022.
Aamir Qureshi | afp | Getty’s paintings
In October, Pakistan’s election commission issued a ruling banning Khan from office again, sparking outrage amongst lots of his supporters, who say it was foul play.
Khan and his supporters said last 12 months that his overthrow was a plot masterminded by Sharif and america, the latter of which has an extended and sophisticated relationship with Pakistan’s government. Sharif and Washington denied the accusations.
Khan’s legal troubles appear to have only made him more popular together with his base, who imagine he’ll return and turn into prime minister again in an election later this 12 months. Some political analysts also see him as a possible favorite, with many expecting the costs against him to be dropped.
Khan is one of the vital famous figures in Pakistan and your entire South Asian region, known for leading the Pakistan national cricket team to glory within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineteen Nineties. He later moved into politics, founding PTI in 1996.
Khan’s political profession was marked by setbacks until his party, operating on a populist platform, won the 2018 No.
The White House said it was aware of Khan’s arrest and that it had no position on the matter, and made further inquiries with the Pakistani government.
— Amanda Macias of CNBC contributed to this report from Washington.