Page 6 - aruba-today-20230510

A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 10 May 2023

Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan arrested, sparking violence

By MUNIR AHMED and RI- Khan’s arrest came hours
AZAT BUTT after he issued a video
Associated Press message before heading
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Paki- to Islamabad, saying he
stan’s former Prime Minister was “mentally prepared”
Imran Khan was arrested for arrest there.
and dragged from court Khan was wounded by a
Tuesday as he appeared gunman at a rally in No-
to face charges in multiple vember, an attack that
graft cases, a dramatic killed one of his supporters
escalation of political ten- and wounded 13. He has
sions that sparked violent insisted, without offering
demonstrations by his an- any evidence, that there
gry supporters across the is a plot to assassinate him,
country. alleging that Pakistan’s spy
The arrest of Khan, who was agency was behind the
ousted in a no-confidence conspiracy. The gunman
vote in April 2022 but re- was immediately arrested
mains the leading opposi- and police later released
tion figure, represented the a video of him in custody,
latest confrontation to roil allegedly saying he had
Pakistan, which has seen acted alone.
former prime ministers ar- In a strongly worded state-
rested over the years and Protected by a bulletproof barrier, former Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a rally in ment Monday, the military
interventions by its powerful Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 26, 2023. accused Khan of “fabri-
military. Associated Press cated and malicious alle-
At least one person was court. Some of Khan’s law- is scheduled to appear at aged public property in gations” of its involvement
reported killed in clashes yers and supporters were in- an anti-graft tribunal on parts of the country. in the November shooting,
between protesters and jured in the melee, as were Wednesday, officials said. Authorities said they have saying they are “extremely
the military in Quetta, the several police, Chaudhry “Imran Khan has been ar- banned rallies in the east- unfortunate, deplorable
capital of Baluchistan said. rested because he was be- ern province of Punjab. and unacceptable.”
province, with another five Khan was taken to the gar- ing sought in a graft case,” As the news of the arrest The military has directly
people wounded there, rison city of Rawalpindi, Interior Minister Rana spread, about 4,000 of ruled Pakistan for more
while about 15 injuries were near Islamabad, for ques- Sanaullah Khan told a news Khan’s supporters stormed than half of the 75 years
reported amid similar vio- tioning at the offices of the conference. He alleged the official residence of the since the country gained
lence in Karachi, Peshawar, National Accountability Bu- Pakistan’s treasury had top regional commander in independence from British
Rawalpindi and Lahore. reau, according to police lost millions of dollars while Lahore, smashing windows colonial rule, and wields
Police fired tear gas to dis- and government officials. Khan was in office due to and doors, damaging fur- considerable power over
perse demonstrations. He also was to undergo a illegal purchases of lands niture and staging a sit-in civilian governments.
Amid the violence, offi- routine medical checkup, from a business tycoon. as troops there retreated Sharif, whose government
cials at Pakistan’s telecom- police said. The National Account- to avoid violence. The pro- faces spiraling economic
munication authority said Khan had arrived at the Is- ability Bureau is Pakistan’s testers also burned police woes and is struggling to re-
regulators blocked social lamabad High Court from powerful anti-corruption vehicles and blocked key cover from last year’s dev-
media, including Twitter, nearby Lahore, where he organization that has de- roads. astating floods that killed
and internet service was lives, to face charges in the tained and investigated Protesters also smashed the hundreds and caused $30
suspended in the capital graft cases. former officials, including main gate of the army’s billion in damage, slammed
of Islamabad and other cit- He has denounced the prime ministers, politicians headquarters in the gar- Khan for assailing the mili-
ies. Classes at some private cases against him, which in- and retired military officers. rison city of Rawalpindi, tary.
schools were canceled for clude terrorism charges, as But some view the NAB as a where troops exercised re- “Let this be abundantly
Wednesday. a politically motivated plot tool used by those in pow- straint. Hundreds of demon- clear that you, as former
Khan was removed from by his successor, Prime Min- er, especially the military, to strators shouted pro-Khan prime minister, currently
the Islamabad High Court ister Shahbaz Sharif, saying crack down on political op- slogans as they moved to- on trial for corruption, are
by security agents from his ouster was illegal and a ponents. When Khan was ward the sprawling build- claiming legitimacy to
the National Account- Western conspiracy. Khan in power, his government ing. overturn the legal and po-
ability Bureau, said Fawad has campaigned against arrested Sharif, then the In the port city of Karachi, litical system,” Sharif tweet-
Chaudhry, a senior official Sharif and demanded early opposition leader, through police swung batons and ed after Khan’s arrest.
with his Pakistan Tehreek- elections. the NAB. fired tear gas to disperse In a statement, the Europe-
e-Insaf party, and then Tuesday’s arrest was based At a news conference, hundreds of Khan support- an Union urged “restraint
shoved into an armored on a new warrant from the Law Minister Azam Tarar ers who had gathered on a and cool headedness” in
car and whisked away. National Accountability Bu- said Khan was arrested be- key road. the country, through dia-
Chaudhry denounced the reau obtained last week in cause he was not coop- Raoof Hasan, another lead- logue and the rule of law.
arrest of the 71-year-old a separate graft case for erating with the investiga- er from Khan’s party, told Al In Washington, U.S. Secre-
former cricket star as “an which Khan had not been tions. He also denounced Jazeera English television tary of State Antony Blinken
abduction.” Pakistan’s in- granted bail. His lawyers the violence by Khan sup- that the arrest is “blatant and British Foreign Secre-
dependent GEO TV broad- challenged the legality of porters, saying that protests interference in the judicial tary James Cleverly both
cast video of Khan being the arrest, but the court up- must remain peaceful. affairs by the powers-that- said at a news conference
hauled away. held it, although it added “It should have not hap- be.” they were aware of reports
A scuffle broke out be- that Khan should not have pened,” he said, shortly Hasan added that Khan about Khan’s arrest but
tween Khan’s supporters been forcibly removed after TV video emerged of “was virtually abducted declined any substantive
and police outside the from the courtroom. Khan burning vehicles and dam- from the court of law.” comment. q