Global Courant 2023-05-10 00:33:58
A court in Pakistan has declared the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan legal as protests erupted across the country after he was taken into custody in the capital, Islamabad.
The arrest on Tuesday, as Khan appeared in court on corruption charges, is the latest twist in a months-long political crisis and follows several failed attempts to arrest the cricketer-turned-politician.
Senior members of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said a six-member committee formed by Khan in March over his fear of being arrested will assemble and decide on the next step.
Earlier, authorities said Khan was arrested in connection with corruption involving the Al-Qadir University Trust, led by the opposition leader and his wife Bushra Bibi.
Home Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan confirmed that Khan has been arrested in a case being prosecuted by the anti-corruption agency.
“Imran Khan did not appear despite the reports, NAB (Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau) has arrested him for damage to the national treasury. No violence was done to them,” the interior minister said in a statement tweet.
Akbar Nasir Khan, a top police official in Islamabad, told Al Jazeera that on May 1, NAB issued an arrest warrant against Khan in connection with the case.
PTI leaders have denied the interior minister’s allegations and said Khan had not received an arrest warrant before Tuesday.
Khan has been hit with more than 100 cases – including charges of corruption, “terrorism” and even blasphemy – since he was removed from power by a parliamentary vote of no confidence last April.
The 70-year-old denies that the allegations are politically motivated. He has also maintained that political parties joined forces with the country’s powerful military to remove him from power.
PTI is appealing
Video footage shared on social media by the PTI showed party supporters rioting in several cities across the country, setting fire to vehicles and buildings. Clips of PTI supporters vandalizing Corp Commander’s residence in Lahore also went viral.
“After seeing what happened, our leaders had a very serious talk,” senior PTI official Asad Umar told Al Jazeera.
“We believe that some of this violence was pre-planned by forces working against the PTI. This was part of a conspiracy to press charges against the party and Khan.”
Speaking about the PTI’s course of action, Umar said that the legal team will appeal to the country’s Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the Islamabad High Court that declared Khan’s arrest lawful.
“In addition to the appeal, Khan will have to be brought before the court for accountability, where the authorities will request his physical remand, which we will oppose with our legal team.”
One dead in protests
Meanwhile, at least one person was killed after protests erupted across the country following Khan’s arrest.
Police fired water cannons and tear gas as thousands of Khan’s supporters took to the streets in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and other cities.
Home Minister Meer Zia ullah Langau confirmed the death of a PTI supporter and added that police officers were also injured in clashes with PTI supporters.
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder said from Islamabad that “a precarious situation” is emerging following Khan’s arrest.
“As reports of Imran Khan’s arrest spread across the country, protesters took to the streets and arrests were made,” Hyder said. “There is a lot of anger among Imran Khan’s supporters and the situation is escalating by the hour.”
Hyder added that officials anticipated the protests and have warned the public not to participate in them.
“The Inspector General of Islamabad Police has said that anyone who comes out to protest should be arrested.”
Supporters of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan clash with police (KM Chaudary/AP Photo)
Benazir Shah, a Lahore-based political analyst, said the NAB has been used in the past by the military to crack down on politicians.
“The tradition seems to continue,” she told Al Jazeera. “Imran Khan’s arrest may have less to do with the corruption charge that NAB is investigating and more to do with the allegation Khan made earlier this week against serving military officials.”
Muhammad Faisal, a political observer in Islamabad, said that with Khan’s arrest, political instability in the country could become unsustainable.
“It seems that Pakistan’s many crises have just been hit by political violence in the most populous province with two leading forces, the PTI and the military establishment, violently linked,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that “we may not see Khan.” return to power in the long run.
Twitter, YouTube and Facebook blocked
Pakistani authorities have also restricted access to Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms due to the rising violence in the country.
“In addition, total internet shutdowns have been observed in some regions,” NetBlocks, the global internet monitor, said Tuesday.
Malahat Obaid, an official spokesperson for Pakistan’s Telecommunications Authority (PTA), told Al Jazeera that the Ministry of Interior’s regulatory body had been ordered to suspend access to Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
“We have received a letter from the ministry asking us to issue a suspension order,” she said.
At least one person was killed in protests on Tuesday (Fayaz Aziz/Reuters)
The case against Khan
The Al-Qadir Trust case against Khan was brought last year by the current government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The corruption case concerns the acquisition of land for Al-Qadir Trust, of which Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are trustees.
The land, worth billions of rupees or millions of dollars, was given by Malik Riaz, one of Pakistan’s top business magnates, for the establishment of an educational institute.
In December 2019, Riaz agreed to transfer assets, including property, worth $239 million to the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.
Home Secretary Sanaullah told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday that British authorities had returned £190 million ($240 million) to Pakistan in an investigation involving “dirty money”, which Khan then returned to the businessman instead of the to keep in the national treasury.
The former prime minister denies wrongdoing.
Additional reporting by Abid Hussain in Islamabad.
