The detention of former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on May 9, 2023, has provoked a series of violent protests across the country. Khan was apprehended by the Rangers for his alleged involvement in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. In an attempt to control the growing chaos, officials have enforced Section 144 in Punjab and Islamabad.
Khan was taken into custody at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) while seeking bail for several cases filed against him since his removal from power in April 2022. His arrest incited widespread protests, with demonstrators obstructing roads and vandalizing public property in cities such as Islamabad and Peshawar. In Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, law enforcement officers used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protestors.
PTI has urged its supporters to “shut down Pakistan” in response to Khan’s arrest. The party tweeted, “Its your time, people of Pakistan. Khan has always stood for you, now its time to stand for him.” Previous efforts to detain Khan at his Lahore residence led to violent confrontations between police and his supporters.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
If found guilty, Khan could be disqualified from holding public office, potentially excluding him from upcoming elections. Local TV channels displayed a limping Khan, injured during an assassination attempt last year, being forcefully escorted by Rangers into an armored vehicle at the IHC.
Following the arrest, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has convened a meeting with the party’s central leadership and emergency committee members to discuss their next steps. PTI leaders, including Saifullah Niazi, Azam Swati, Ijaz Chaudhary, Murad Saeed, Ali Amin, and Qureshi, form the emergency committee.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah maintains that Khan’s arrest was legal and executed by the independent National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The Al-Qadir Trust corruption case implicates Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and other PTI leaders in allegations of embezzlement totaling Rs60 billion. They are accused of causing a 190 million pound loss to the national exchequer in a settlement with a property tycoon.
As Pakistan contends with the turmoil following the former Prime Minister’s arrest, the nation now anticipates PTI’s subsequent actions and the results of the legal proceedings. Will the demonstrations result in change, or will they further exacerbate the political instability that has been afflicting the country? The answer remains to be seen.