Protests erupted across Pakistan on Tuesday after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested during a court appearance in the capital for one of dozens of pending cases since he was ousted last year.
His arrest comes after months of political turmoil and came hours after the powerful military reprimanded the former international cricketer after alleging that a senior officer was involved in a plot to kill him.
Some protesters vented their anger on the army, stormed the Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore and besieged the gate of the army’s general headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse Khan’s supporters in Karachi and Lahore, while protesters blocked roads in the capital Islamabad, Peshawar and other cities.
Global internet monitor NetBlocks said that as news of the protests spread, both the US and Britain called for the “rule of law” in Pakistan, while authorities restricted access to Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. gave
Khan has faced dozens of charges since his ouster – a tactic analysts say has been used by successive Pakistani governments to silence their opponents.
If convicted, he could be barred from holding public office, which would rule him out of elections later this year.
Video aired on local TV channels showed Khan – who has been paralyzed since being shot during an assassination attempt last year – being carried by dozens of paramilitary Rangers inside the Islamabad High Court compound. Into an armored car.
“When we reached the court’s biometric room for attendance, dozens of Rangers attacked us,” said Ali Bukhari, a lawyer from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. “They beat him and dragged him out,” he said.
Section 144 enforced in Punjab and Balochistan
In response to protests across the region following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case, the governments of Punjab and Balochistan on Tuesday imposed Section 144 in their respective provinces.
The decision to impose Section 144 was taken after angry protesters stormed government buildings and blocked roads in response to Imran Khan’s arrest.
The caretaker government of Punjab has called the Rangers, mobile and internet services have been stopped in the province.
In the meeting of the Provincial Intelligence Committee chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, important decisions were taken to deal with the law and order situation across the province.
The Islamabad administration also imposed Section 144 in the capital region.
Chief Minister Punjab
Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the recent acts of vandalism by PTI workers on army and police properties in various cities.
The chief minister described the incidents as acts of sheer terror rather than political expression, vowing that no one involved in attacking the state of Pakistan would be spared.
After the arrest of Imran Khan, violent incidents took place in many cities.
Angered and disaffected, PTI workers resorted to vandalism, targeting army and police property in protest.
The acts of destruction included burning vehicles, damaging infrastructure and attacking law enforcement officials.
Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has strongly condemned these incidents in a statement, classifying them as acts of terrorism and saying that it threatens the stability and security of the nation.
He asserted that there is no place for such violence.
I want to make it clear that this is not politics. This is sheer terrorism,” Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced in a tweet. I promise to the nation that we will not spare a single person involved in this attack on the state of Pakistan. There will be rule of law and justice.
PTI activists killed
At least two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers were killed and dozens injured during clashes with law enforcement agencies in Quetta and Malakand.
After the arrest of Imran Khan, as the law and order situation continued to deteriorate, PTI workers and supporters went to military installations in many parts of the country.
Soon after former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan was arrested outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the videos surfaced on social media.
The clips show PTI workers shouting slogans against the government as well as the Pakistan Army.
Lathi-wielding protesters reached inside the Pakistan Army General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
No torture inflicted
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday that the head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was not subjected to any kind of violence.
In a tweet, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan did not appear in court despite several notices being issued.
Sanaullah also said that he was arrested for damaging the national treasury.
Responding to Nadeem Malik’s question as to why the arrest was made before the investigation, Rana Sanaullah said that ‘the whole matter is in the documents’.
Defending the arrest, Rana said that if Imran Khan had cooperated in the investigation, the documentary case could have been presented in court without the need for arrest.
Rana Sanaullah justified the matter and claimed that there has been a clear loss of 50 to 60 billion rupees to the national treasury in the investigation.
The federal minister also alleged that Imran Khan, who accuses others of corruption, is himself involved in corrupt practices, receiving huge sums of money in Tosha Khana.
Sanaullah expressed his belief that there was no accountability for Imran Khan’s corruption.
When asked about the Supreme Court’s involvement in the matter, Rana Sanaullah said that if there are any problems in the judicial proceedings, it is up to the court to resolve them.
Many of Imran Khan’s supporters have accused the government of political vendetta, saying the allegations against Imran Khan are baseless and politically motivated.
In response to these allegations, the Home Minister reiterated that the arrest was made based on evidence and due process.
