Tensions are running high in Pakistan following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan for corruption, with fears of further clashes between his supporters and the police. The day after his arrest during a judicial summons, he was placed in pre-trial detention for eight days. The government has authorized the deployment of soldiers to the province of Punjab, where violent clashes have already erupted.
On Wednesday, May 10, a court specially convened the day after his arrest ordered the detention of the former prime minister for a period of eight days, according to his lawyers. The ex-prime minister, who is pressuring the government to hold snap elections before October, was appearing over a corruption case at police headquarters where large security forces had been deployed.
After the announcement of Imran Khan’s arrest, violent clashes broke out between supporters of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the police. At least six people have died in incidents related to the protests, according to police and hospitals.
Sending soldiers to the Punjab province
The government has given the go-ahead for troops to be sent to the country’s most populous province of Punjab, where nearly 1,000 protesters have been arrested, and 130 police injured since protests began.
The order issued by the Interior Ministry does not specify the date or duration of the deployment requested by the provincial government, nor the number of soldiers.
Protesters set fire to the residence of the military commander of Lahore (east) and blocked the entrance gates of the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. In a statement, the army warned of a “strong reaction” against those who attack military and state installations.
Schools were closed on Wednesday across the country and access to social networks such as Twitter and Facebook restricted by the authorities. By noon, protesters had blocked some roads leading to Islamabad.
“If they think the arrest of Imran Khan will demoralize us, they are seriously mistaken,” said one of his supporters, Niaz Ali, in Peshawar, where several monuments and government buildings have been set on fire. “We stand with Imran Khan and we will support him till death,” he continued.
Conflict with the army
Imran Khan was removed from his position as head of government in April 2022, after losing the support of the army and the vote of a vote of no confidence against him.
After his fall, Imran Khan, 70, the target of several dozen court cases and whose relations with the military institution have only deteriorated, pushed for the organization of early elections before the deadline of October, in the hope of returning to power. In vain.
The ex-Prime Minister, who came to power with the support of the army in 2018 before falling out with the military hierarchy, accused this weekend a senior officer of having plotted to assassinate him in November during a a meeting, during which he was shot in the leg.
“These fabricated and malicious allegations are extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable”, replied in a press release the army, considering that “this noisy propaganda” aimed to “promote political objectives”.
Officially, the attack is the work of a lone gunman who, according to a video released by the police, confessed to being the perpetrator and who is incarcerated, but this theory is rejected by Imran Khan.
Criticism of the military is rare in Pakistan, where its leaders wield considerable political influence. She has staged at least three coups since independence in 1947, ruling for more than 30 years.
“My (dear) Pakistanis, by the time these words reach you, I will have been arrested in connection with an illegitimate matter,” Imran Khan said in a pre-recorded video on Tuesday, anticipating his arrest.
Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told a press conference that there was “no political vendetta” surrounding Imran Khan’s arrest.
The case that led to his detention was brought by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan’s top anti-corruption body, which said the former cricketer ignored repeated court summonses.
With AFP
