Pakistan arrests former prime minister Imran Khan
Video from local broadcasters showed the moment former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was arrested by a paramilitary force in Islamabad on May 9. (Video: Reuters)
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ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s main opposition leader and former prime minister, Imran Khan, was arrested Tuesday, authorities said, raising the stakes of the country’s political crisis and the possibility of more clashes between his supporters and police. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia’s war in Ukraine. ArrowRight In a statement, Islamabad police spokesman Taqi Jawwad said Khan had been arrested in a corruption case that has been evolving for months. The former prime minister faces a number of other charges in separate cases, too.
Pakistani authorities said Tuesday that they had unsuccessfully sought Khan’s cooperation in the corruption probe. He was subsequently arrested by officers on court premises in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, where he was attending a trial over different charges.
Pakistani television footage showed Khan being pushed into a law enforcement vehicle. Officials said the officers were operating on a warrant from the country’s anti-corruption watchdog.
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Khan’s arrest comes after days of mounting public dispute between the former prime minister, who was ousted from his office last year, the current government, and the country’s powerful military. Khan had recently accused a senior officer of having been part of an assassination attempt against him last year, which he narrowly survived.
The former prime minister’s party said there were political motives behind the arrest linked to the current government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Khan’s supporters say the government is acting undemocratically, having repeatedly sought to delay key regional votes this year after Khan performed above expectations in by-elections last October.
In the wake of the arrest, Khan’s party called for protests across Pakistan and there were some reports of spontaneous demonstrations on a capital city highway and in the northwestern regional capital of Peshawar.
During an attempt to arrest Khan in March, fierce clashes between Pakistani police and supporters of the former prime minister broke out around his Lahore residence, leaving many injured.
Noack reported from Doha, Qatar.
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Source: The Washington Post
