Pakistan on edge after Imran Khan arrest: 8 killed in clashes, army called in

Kathmandu: At least eight people were killed in the clashes across Pakistan following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.

The violent protests provoked by the arrest left 8 people dead and as many as 290 were injured. PTI supporters engaged in bloody clashes throughout Wednesday that resulted in damage to several government installations, including police stations.

Late in Wednesday night, PTI senior vice-president Fawad Chaudhry was arrested hours after central Secretary General Asad Umar was taken into custody.

As the violent protests continues, the Pakistani government has deployed the military to quell riots. In a bid to control the worsening situation, the government called in the military in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad. The deployment came a day after protesters stormed the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and tore down a gate of GHQ in Rawalpindi.

The attacks on army property prompted a harsh statement from its media wing, with its spokesperson calling out the ‘hypocrisy’ of a political group that used the public for its ‘limited and selfish”’ interests.

The former prime minister Khan was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a corruption case, The 70-year-old former international star cricketer was handed over to the custody of Pakistan’s anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), for eight days for further questioning.

Another court indicted Khan earlier on Wednesday on charges of selling state gifts during his four years in power, a day after his arrest in the unrelated fraud case.

Khan was ousted as prime minister in April of 2022. Since then, he has been campaigning for early elections. General elections are due to be held later this year. He blamed the foreign powers for his exit from the office.

Khan also accused current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and leader of Muslim League Nawaz of colluding with the military to oust him from office.

Speaking to the BBC’s Newshour, Imran Khan’s spokesman, Raoof Hasan, said he expected ‘the worst’ and that the arrest could plunge the country ‘into chaos and anarchy’.

‘We’re facing multiple crises. There is an economic crisis, there is a political crisis, there is a cost of livelihood crisis and consequently this occasion will be a catharsis for them to step out and I fear a fair amount of violence is going to be back’, Hasan said.

As protests grew, mobile data services in the country were also suspended on the instruction of the Interior Ministry, reports said.