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Arrest of Imran Khan
On 9 May 2023, former Prime Minister and politician Imran Khan was arrested from inside the Islamabad High Court in Islamabad by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the charges of corruption in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust, which he owns alongside his wife, Bushra Bibi. Attempts to arrest Khan led to 2023 Pakistani protests by his supporters throughout the country. Khan was again arrested on corruption charges in relation to the Toshakhana reference case in August 2023.
His first arrest came a day after the Armed Forces media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had responded negatively to Khan's accusations of a high-ranking Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) being involved in an assassination attempt on his life the previous year. The Islamabad High Court ruled that Khan's arrest was legal. However, the Supreme Court of Pakistan deemed the arrest unlawful due to the manner it was carried out, and mandated Khan's release. The next day on 12 May, Islamabad High Court granted two weeks bail to Khan. Shortly upon his release, Khan directly accused the army chief Asim Munir of playing a role in his arrest.
Imran Khan became prime minister following the 2018 general elections. Originally enjoying the support of the military establishment and being on the "same page", he later had a falling-out with the country's army. Following a series of defections, he lost his parliamentary majority. Subsequently, Khan was ousted through a vote of no confidence, and he accused the then Chief of Army Staff, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, of orchestrating the move. Khan developed a sense of resentment towards the army's influence, alleging that they engaged in blackmail against his government. While his "erratic" policies frustrated the military. Numerous lawsuits and criminal cases have been filed against him ever since he was removed from office. Khan has said that he is confronted with over 150 legal cases. Khan stated that the accusations against him are politically driven and that he had not engaged in any misconduct.
Khan called for early elections and became a critic of government leadership and the army after his ouster. However, in October 2022, he was disqualified from holding public office due to allegations of incorrectly declaring details of presents from foreign dignitaries and the sale of the proceeds. The following month, he survived a gun attack on his convoy while leading a protest march. Following the attack, Khan made the accusation that Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, an ISI officer, played a key role in both devising and overseeing the plan for his assassination. On 7 May 2023, during a rally Khan repeated accusations that he had made earlier against Maj Gen. Faisal Naseer, of orchestrating plans to murder him, and alleged he was also responsible for the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif. The next day, ISPR said "irresponsible and baseless allegations by Khan against a serving senior military officer without evidence were "extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable". On 9 May 2023, Khan, before departing for Islamabad to attend the hearings of his bail application at the IHC, reiterated his claim that a senior ISI officer was involved in a plot to assassinate him and said, "This is my army and my Pakistan. I don't need to lie."
During Khan's court appearance in Islamabad High Court, while he was in the process of submitting his biometric data, paramilitary forces of Pakistan Rangers forcibly entered by breaking a window to apprehend him. Video footage depicted security officers of Pakistan Rangers grabbing Khan out of the courtroom and subsequently placing him inside a black Toyota Hilux Vigo to NAB Rawalpindi.
The same day as the arrest, protests broke out across the country, including in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, resulting in eight fatalities. Protests witnessed the participation of families of currently serving army officers as well.
The protests predominantly targeted the army and the extent of such widespread unrest, involving the vandalization of military properties and installations, is a rare occurrence in Pakistan. Repeatedly, protesters stormed the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi as well the corps commander's house in Lahore, which was set on fire. During the protests, there were attempts made by the demonstrators to vandalize the headquarters of the ISI. PTI said in response, the army resorted to the use of firearms to disperse the protesters. Protesters in Islamabad blocked one of the main highways in and out of the capital. People also lit fires, dismantled street signs and threw stones. No police or officials were in the area during the hour-long blockade. Protesters in Peshawar also set fire to the Radio Pakistan premises. In London, supporters of Imran Khan demonstrated outside the High Commission of Pakistan following his arrest.
The Interior Ministry ordered the suspension of mobile broadband services throughout the country, as demonstrations intensified and were staged outside army facilities. Independent monitors reported that there was restricted access to social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and total internet shutdowns in some regions. The internet services were restored late on 12 May 2023.
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Arrest of Imran Khan
On 9 May 2023, former Prime Minister and politician Imran Khan was arrested from inside the Islamabad High Court in Islamabad by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the charges of corruption in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust, which he owns alongside his wife, Bushra Bibi. Attempts to arrest Khan led to 2023 Pakistani protests by his supporters throughout the country. Khan was again arrested on corruption charges in relation to the Toshakhana reference case in August 2023.
His first arrest came a day after the Armed Forces media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had responded negatively to Khan's accusations of a high-ranking Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) being involved in an assassination attempt on his life the previous year. The Islamabad High Court ruled that Khan's arrest was legal. However, the Supreme Court of Pakistan deemed the arrest unlawful due to the manner it was carried out, and mandated Khan's release. The next day on 12 May, Islamabad High Court granted two weeks bail to Khan. Shortly upon his release, Khan directly accused the army chief Asim Munir of playing a role in his arrest.
Imran Khan became prime minister following the 2018 general elections. Originally enjoying the support of the military establishment and being on the "same page", he later had a falling-out with the country's army. Following a series of defections, he lost his parliamentary majority. Subsequently, Khan was ousted through a vote of no confidence, and he accused the then Chief of Army Staff, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, of orchestrating the move. Khan developed a sense of resentment towards the army's influence, alleging that they engaged in blackmail against his government. While his "erratic" policies frustrated the military. Numerous lawsuits and criminal cases have been filed against him ever since he was removed from office. Khan has said that he is confronted with over 150 legal cases. Khan stated that the accusations against him are politically driven and that he had not engaged in any misconduct.
Khan called for early elections and became a critic of government leadership and the army after his ouster. However, in October 2022, he was disqualified from holding public office due to allegations of incorrectly declaring details of presents from foreign dignitaries and the sale of the proceeds. The following month, he survived a gun attack on his convoy while leading a protest march. Following the attack, Khan made the accusation that Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, an ISI officer, played a key role in both devising and overseeing the plan for his assassination. On 7 May 2023, during a rally Khan repeated accusations that he had made earlier against Maj Gen. Faisal Naseer, of orchestrating plans to murder him, and alleged he was also responsible for the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif. The next day, ISPR said "irresponsible and baseless allegations by Khan against a serving senior military officer without evidence were "extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable". On 9 May 2023, Khan, before departing for Islamabad to attend the hearings of his bail application at the IHC, reiterated his claim that a senior ISI officer was involved in a plot to assassinate him and said, "This is my army and my Pakistan. I don't need to lie."
During Khan's court appearance in Islamabad High Court, while he was in the process of submitting his biometric data, paramilitary forces of Pakistan Rangers forcibly entered by breaking a window to apprehend him. Video footage depicted security officers of Pakistan Rangers grabbing Khan out of the courtroom and subsequently placing him inside a black Toyota Hilux Vigo to NAB Rawalpindi.
The same day as the arrest, protests broke out across the country, including in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, resulting in eight fatalities. Protests witnessed the participation of families of currently serving army officers as well.
The protests predominantly targeted the army and the extent of such widespread unrest, involving the vandalization of military properties and installations, is a rare occurrence in Pakistan. Repeatedly, protesters stormed the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi as well the corps commander's house in Lahore, which was set on fire. During the protests, there were attempts made by the demonstrators to vandalize the headquarters of the ISI. PTI said in response, the army resorted to the use of firearms to disperse the protesters. Protesters in Islamabad blocked one of the main highways in and out of the capital. People also lit fires, dismantled street signs and threw stones. No police or officials were in the area during the hour-long blockade. Protesters in Peshawar also set fire to the Radio Pakistan premises. In London, supporters of Imran Khan demonstrated outside the High Commission of Pakistan following his arrest.
The Interior Ministry ordered the suspension of mobile broadband services throughout the country, as demonstrations intensified and were staged outside army facilities. Independent monitors reported that there was restricted access to social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and total internet shutdowns in some regions. The internet services were restored late on 12 May 2023.