The United Nations has taken notice of the deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has appealed to everyone to refrain from violence.
Earlier this week, Pakistan was thrown into chaos after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman was detained from the premises of the Islamabad High Court.
At least five people have been killed in the violence, which has fueled instability in the country as it grapples with a deepening economic crisis and a delayed International Monetary Fund bailout since November.
Guterres called on all parties to respect the right to peaceful assembly and urged law enforcement officials to respect the law while enforcing the law against Khan, according to Farhan Haq, the secretary-general’s deputy spokesman.
“The Secretary General urges the authorities to respect due process and the rule of law in the proceedings brought against former Prime Minister Khan,” the spokesperson said.
Imran Khan – Pakistan’s most popular political leader according to polls – was arrested in a land fraud case on Tuesday, prompting supporters to storm military buildings and ransack the residence of a top army general in Lahore.
Other state buildings and assets were attacked and set on fire by the protesters, and the government said on Wednesday it had seized control of two of Pakistan’s four provinces – Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both strongholds of the Khans – and the federal capital. Requests to deploy troops for rehabilitation from Islamabad have been approved.
The military issued a statement saying it had exercised restraint during earlier violence but that any further attacks on military or law enforcement agencies, state installations and property would be “sternly responded to”.
