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The dramatic arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan Tuesday sparked widespread protests across the country, with his supporters storming the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson was whisked away from the premises of Islamabad High Court (IHC) by paramilitary Rangers as he was undergoing biometric procedure on the court premises. TV footage showed the Rangers grabbing Khan from the collar and bundling him into a prison van.
The arrest of the 70-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician comes a day after the powerful army accused Khan of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI. According to Pakistan daily Dawn, Inspector General Police Islamabad (IG) Akbar Nasir Khan in a statement said Imran had been detained in the Al-Qadir Trust case, in which the former prime minister and his wife have been accused of receiving “billions of rupees from a real estate firm for legalising a laundered amount of Rs 50 billion.”
Here are the top 10 points following the arrest of Imran Khan
🔴 Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have been suspended in various parts of Pakistan. Mobile data services have also been suspended in major cities of Pakistan. The private schools in the country will remain suspended on Wednesday, news agency Reuters reported.
🔴 The arrest of the 70-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician comes a day after the powerful army accused Khan of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI.
🔴 Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan took to Twitter to share that Imran had failed to appear before the court despite being issued several notices. “NAB has arrested him for damaging the national treasury. No violence was done to them,” he tweeted.
🔴 The Chief Justice at the Islamabad High Court Aamer Farooq ordered the Interior Minister Secretary and the Islamabad police chief to appear in the court within 15 minutes of Khan’s arrest. According to a report in Dawn, Justice Farooq said, “Come to court and tell us why Imran has been arrested and in which case.”
🔴 A six-member committee, headed by PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, would determine the next course of action, tweeted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar.
🔴 The protests are underway in cities, including Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, Gilgit, Karak, according to the official Twitter handle of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. About five officers of the Islamabad police have been injured Tuesday, following the protests, Dawn reported.
🔴 PTI protesters marched towards the Families Corps Commander’s House, demanding the release of former Pak PM, played the songs of 1965 war, and later took over the corps commander’s house, breaking windows and furniture. Many protesters also entered the General Headquarters (of the Pakistan Army) in Rawalpindi.
🔴 Section 144 was imposed in Peshawar Tuesday for a duration of 30 days, according to Deputy Commissioner Shah Fahad. According to the Pakistan daily Dawn, “[Section 144][1] of the Code of Criminal Procedure empowers the district administration to issue orders in the public interest that may place a ban on an activity for a specific period of time.” Moreover, about 43 protesters have been arrested so far for violating Section 144 that was earlier imposed in the city, according to the Islamabad police.
🔴 The Islamabad High Court reserved its verdict on the legality of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said that if the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was illegally arrested, then “he will have to be released.
🔴 Khan has been facing a slew of cases since his ouster through a no trust vote in April last year. He has rejected all these cases as political victimisation by the ruling alliance.
