Arrest of Imran Khan

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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. On 9 May 2023, former Pakistani Prime Minister and politician Imran Khan was arrested from inside the High Court in Islamabad on the charges of corruption in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust, which he owns alongside his wife, Bushra Bibi.[1] Following Khan's arrest, his party called for demonstrations.[2][3][4]

The arrest came a day after the military through its media wing ISPR had responded negatively to Khan's accusations of a high-ranking ISI official being implicated in an assassination attempt on his life the previous year.[5] ISPR declared Khan's arrest to be legal;[6] however, the following day, the Supreme Court of Pakistan deemed the arrest unlawful and mandated Khan's immediate release.[7]

Shortly upon his release on 12 May, Khan directly accused the army chief Asim Munir of playing a role in his arrest.[8]

Background

In 2018, Imran Khan became the prime minister of Pakistan, but later had a falling-out with the country's powerful army. Following a series of defections, he lost his parliamentary majority. Numerous lawsuits and criminal cases have been filed against him ever since he was removed from power in April 2022.[9] Khan maintains that the accusations against him are politically driven and denies any misconduct.[9] Khan has advocated for early elections and has been a vociferous critic of the nation's leadership, institutions and army.[3][10][11] 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.[3]

On 7 May, during a rally Khan repeated accusations that he had made earlier against a senior intelligence officer of ISI, Maj Gen. Faisal Naseer, of orchestrating plans to murder him.[12][13][14] During the rally, Khan also claimed the same officer was also responsible for the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif.[15][16]

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”.[17]

Arrest

On 9 May, Khan, before departing for Islamabad to attend the hearings of his bail application at the Islamabad High Court, reiterated his claim that a senior ISI officer was involved in a plot to assassinate him and emphatically stated, "This is my army and my Pakistan. I don’t need to lie." reaffirming the seriousness of his accusation.[18]

The same day, Khan was apprehended during his court appearance in Islamabad, where he was facing multiple corruption charges.[3][11][19][20][dead link] Video footage depicted numerous security officers of Pakistan Rangers escorting Khan out of the courtroom and subsequently placing him inside a black Toyota Hilux Vigo.[21][22][23]

Aftermath

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Main article: 2023 Pakistani protests

The same day as the arrest, protests broke out across the country, including in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, resulting in eight fatalities.[3][22]

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.[3][22][24][25] In London, supporters of Imran Khan demonstrated outside the High Commission of Pakistan following his arrest.[3][22]

The interior ministry ordered the suspension of mobile data services throughout the country, as demonstrations intensified and were staged outside army facilities.[3][22] Independent monitors reported that there was restricted access to social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and total internet shutdowns in some regions.[26][27]

According to the police, approximately 1,000 individuals were apprehended.[3][22] An Islamabad court later ruled that Khan's arrest was legal.[28]

On 10 May, police detained key leading members of Khan's political party. These included former ministers Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry.[29] As of May 11th, a minimum of 8 individuals lost their lives, while over 290 sustained injuries, and more than 1,900 party supporters were detained. In an effort to address the escalating situation, the army was deployed in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad the same day[30]

Protest against military

The protests predominantly targeted the army[31] and the extent of such widespread unrest, involving the vandalization of military properties and installations, is a rare occurrence in Pakistan.[32][33][34] Repeatedly, protesters stormed General Headquarters of Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi as well corps commander’s house in Lahore which was set on fire.[35][36] During the protests, there were attempts made by the demonstrators to vandalize the headquarters of the ISI. In response, the army resorted to the use of firearms to disperse the protesters.[37][38]

The military, through its media wing ISPR, maintained that Khan's arrest was legal and in accordance with the law. They also promptly criticized the protesters, referring to it as a "black day" and stating that no one should take the law into their own hands and that anyone found violating it will be dealt with strictly.[39]

According to reports, several high-ranking Army commanders, notably including Lt Gen Salman Fayyaz Ghanni (IV Corps Lahore), Lt Gen Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat (XI Corps Peshawar), and Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor (XII Corps Quetta), have expressed their concerns regarding the operation and subsequently declined to follow orders that involved the use of force against the protesters.[40] In addition, Chief of Air Staff Zaheer Ahmad Babar and Chief of Naval Staff Amjad Khan Niazi have voiced their opposition towards Asim Munir, further contributing to the division within the senior military leadership.[40]

On 12 May, Lahore Corps Commander Lt Gen Salman was removed.[41]

Release

On 11 May, Pakistan's Supreme Court declared that the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan was illegal. The court ordered that Khan be released immediately after his legal team contended that his detention was unlawful.[42][43][44]

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that the arrest of Khan at the Islamabad High Court by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) using paramilitary troops was in violation of the law, and that such actions would have a “chilling effect”.[45]

Bandial stated: "Your arrest was invalid, and therefore, the entire process needs to be reversed."[42] He noted: "What dignity remains of the court if 90 people entered its premises? How can any individual be arrested from court premises?"[45]

Imran Khan was instructed by the Supreme Court to appear before the Islamabad High Court on 12 May.[46] On 12 May, Islamabad High Court granted 02 weeks bail to Khan.[47]

In his initial public remarks following his detention, Khan said that the "military abducted" him[48] and he explicitly implicated the army chief Asim Munir as the individual responsible for his arrest, saying that “There is only one man taking action against me and that is the army chief."[8]

Reactions

Concerns about the way in which Khan was arrested have led some political commentators, lawyers, and journalists to criticize the arrest. In particular lawyers have observed that the arrest was carried out by a paramilitary force and on this basis have questioned its legality, though an Islamabad court has termed the arrest legal.[19][28] Khan is still being held at an unidentified location in jail despite the protests and critiques.[49] The United States and United Kingdom called for democracy and the rule of law to be respected.[3][19]

See also

References

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  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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