Imran Khan’s Corruption Case: Clashes and Disruptions as Supporters March to Islamabad

(CTN News) – After the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, violent fights broke out in Pakistan between security forces and his supporters.

At least one person has died in Quetta amid the national protests. The U.S. and UK have issued pleas for “rule of law” compliance.

Security personnel in the capital city of Islamabad detained Imran Khan at the High Court.

Images of the 70-year-old being arrested by a squad of police officers, thrown into a car and driven away captured viewers’ attention.

He was there to face corruption charges that he claims are politically motivated.

As protests spread nationwide on Friday, the Interior Ministry suspended mobile data services. Many of the demonstrations were taking place in front of army facilities.

The Pakistani military significantly impacts the country’s politics, overtly (during military coups) and covertly.

Many political scientists think the military played a role in Khan’s 2018 election victory. Analysts say the army’s popularity has declined because he is now one of its most vociferous opponents, and he is in the opposition.

Tweets from Lahore appeared to show a mob crashing into the home of the military corps commander and smashing his possessions.

State Department official Antony Blinken expressed concern that “whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law, with the constitution” while speaking from Washington.

“Imran Khan’s Arrest Sparks Violence and Disruptions in Pakistan”

Speaking alongside Blinken, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that his country has a “longstanding and close relationship” with Pakistan and hoped to “see the rule of law adhered to” in the Commonwealth member state.

There was a protest outside the Pakistan High Commission in London on Tuesday night in response to the arrest of Imran Khan.

Imran Khan has advocated for snap elections since his removal as prime minister in April of last year. Later this year, we’ll be voting in general elections.

Imran Khan’s spokesman Raoof Hasan told the BBC’s Newshour that the country could be thrown into “chaos and anarchy” due to the detention.

Some crises have recently arisen. “I fear a fair amount of violence will be back,” he added. “There is an economic crisis, a political crisis, and a cost of livelihood crisis. This occasion will be a catharsis for them to step out.”

Raja Mateen, an attorney for Imran Khan, claimed that his client had been subjected to excessive force in court.

To have his fingerprints and iris scanned, Khan visited the biometrics office. Mateen stated, “The rangers went there, smashed the glass, and beat Khan over the head with a baton.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by Imran Khan, rallied its members to demonstrate. Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar were among the cities where violent incidents were recorded in the hours following his arrest.

Hundreds of demonstrators flooded the streets of Islamabad, Pakistan, and shut down a major thoroughfare.

People started fires, flung stones and tore down street signs and flyover sections. No law enforcement officials were in sight throughout the hour that the BBC was there.

Protesters voiced their outrage over the detention of Imran Khan. As Farida Roedad put it, “is the last straw.”

Let there be complete anarchy and disorder. There is no future for Pakistan if Imran is not there. There is no apparent successor.

Five police officers were hurt, Islamabad police wrote on social media, and 43 demonstrators were taken into custody.

It reported that one demonstrator had been murdered and at least 10 people injured, including six police officers, in Quetta, a city in the country’s southwestern province of Baluchistan.

Imran Khan’s arrest was announced after allegations of “corruption and corrupt practices” were made against him, according to the inspector general of Punjab police.

According to Dawn newspaper, the claims center upon the land distribution held by Imran Khan and his wife through their so-called Al-Qadir Trust.

Imran Khan, who has been taken into custody but whose whereabouts remain secret, claims he has done nothing wrong.

Imran Khan claimed he was prepared for whatever was to come in a video message he recorded on the way to Islamabad, posted by the PTI before his detention.

He said that my solicitors will be waiting if you come to me with warrants. “I am ready to go to jail if you want to throw me in.”

For the former prime minister’s court appearance, security was tight throughout the heart of the nation’s capital. Since Imran Khan’s deposition, he has been the subject of dozens of legal proceedings.

Attempts by security authorities to arrest him at his Lahore home have repeatedly been met with resistance from his fans, leading to violent altercations.

The number of Imran Khan’s fans wasn’t as high as on prior occasions since the police had closed highways into Islamabad on Tuesday, making his arrest simpler.

2018 he was elected prime minister, but he has since gotten into a dispute with Pakistan’s powerful army. A slew of defections eroded his parliamentary majority. After four years in office, in April 2022, he was forced out due to a vote of no confidence.

Since then, he has been an outspoken opponent of the administration and the country’s armed forces.

In October, he was banned from public service when allegations surfaced that he had misrepresented the nature and value of gifts received from foreign dignitaries.

The following month, he held a protest march, and gunmen ambushed his convoy.

The military warned him on Monday for making “baseless allegations” after he accused a high-ranking officer of trying to assassinate him for the second time.