Unrest continues in Pakistan after Imran Khan gets arrested
Unrest has continued to engage Pakistan after ex-prime minister Imran Khan claimed not guilty to corruption accusations.
At least eight citizens have died nationwide in the rallies, and 1,400 have been detained, cops say.
Pakistan in lethal violence after the arrest of Imran Khan:
The military has alerted of “severe retaliation” if brutality continues after it was called in to suppress. During the economic crisis, Mr Khan’s detention has dramatically raised tensions between him and the army.
A trust would disqualify the ex-international cricket player – and Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022 – from standing for his country, perhaps for life. Elections are expected later this year.
Pakistan’s military has heavily impacted the nuclear-armed nation for most of its existence and is a vital behind-the-scenes player.
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Many critics believe Mr Khan’s election victory in 2018 happened with the help of the army. But since he was dismissed from the premiership, Mr Khan has become one of the army’s most vocal critics.
On Wednesday, Mr Khan was indicted on accusations of unlawfully selling state gifts during his premiership in a lawsuit brought by Pakistan’s Election Commission. Mr Khan refused any misconduct.
A day before, a dramatic video showed dozens of security officials forcibly dragging the 70-year-old from court – where he was attending separate graft proceedings – then bundling him into a police car.
Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) group called his detention in Islamabad’s capital a “kidnapping” and said it would question its legality in court. The judge has called that Mr Khan be remanded in charge for eight days, after which he can ask for bail.
This is only one of over 100 corruption cases reported against Mr Khan since he quit office. For months he had avoided detention, with his followers sometimes fighting pitched battles with cops to keep him out of charge.
Source – BBC
