As Pakistani authorities arrested former PM Imran Khan on corruption charges, protests broke out nationwide on Tuesday.
Overview
Protests were reported in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, causing authorities to suspend internet services throughout the country.
Matters reached the brink of a civil war as a mob entered the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the army commander’s residence in Lahore. In both cities, the security personnel refrained from stopping the protestors even as they damaged the premises and chanted anti-military slogans.
پوری قوم کا فوری مطالبہ !!#ReleaseImranKhan pic.twitter.com/By4jte1OvV
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 9, 2023
Meanwhile, the Radio Pakistan building was set ablaze in Peshawar. In Quetta, at least one died during the violent demonstrations, with ten, including six police officers, injured.
In Karachi and Rawalpindi, reports suggested clashes between protestors and the police.
Similarly, as protestors blocked a critical highway in Islamabad, five police officers were injured, resulting in 43 arrests.
Several supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party also gathered outside the Pakistani High Commission in London.
Scenes from outside GHQ in Rawalpindi where .@PTIofficial women supporters lead the protest, a lone woman shakes the gate of the GHQ_ unprecedented events for even Pakistan pic.twitter.com/Tcl61fO6Dr
— Munizae Jahangir (@MunizaeJahangir) May 9, 2023
In this regard, the US and the UK have called for reinforcement of the “rule of law.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US was committed to ensuring that “whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law, with the constitution.”
Khan’s Arrest
Imran Khan was arrested outside the Islamabad High Court, with social media videos showing him being dragged by a crowd of security personnel. Khan was at the court’s biometrics office when he was met by the Pakistan Rangers, who reportedly used force against the former PM.
Earlier during the day, he released a video predicting his arrest. In the message, he said, “One thing should become clear for all of you from this is that fundamental rights in Pakistan, the rights given to us by our constitution and democracy, have been buried.”
The BBC quoted Khan’s spokesperson, Raoof Hasan, saying that the former PM warned that his arrest could push the country “into chaos and anarchy.”
Our senior leadership is in Islamabad, fighting to meet our Chairman @ImranKhanPTI and have him released from this illegal abduction.
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) May 10, 2023
We continue to call @PTIofficial family workers, supporters, and the people of Pakistan onto the streets for peaceful protest against this…
The arrest came just a day after the former PM accused the ISI’s top official, Major-General Faisal Naseer, of orchestrating the two assassination attempts against Khan. He also accused the ISI official of being involved in journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder in Kenya.
However, the government claimed that the arrest was made concerning the wrongdoing in the allotment of land in Khan and his wife’s Al-Qadir Trust. The PTI will challenge his detention in the Supreme Court today. However, Khan’s legal team has accused the authorities of barring them from meeting Khan.
While the military establishment in Pakistan holds a significant political influence, the army has claimed that it played no role in Khan’s arrest.