Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan created ruckus on Tuesday at a Pakistan Armed Forces base camp in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commandant’s house in Lahore following his arrest in a corruption case.
Khan, who had traveled from Lahore to the federal capital Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric procedure at the Islamabad High Court when paramilitary Rangers broke a glass window and arrested him after thrashing Khan’s lawyers and security staff. took. Khan had traveled from Lahore to Islamabad.
The army charged the 70-year-old President Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf made baseless allegations against a senior ISI official, which led to his arrest.
As news of his arrest by the Rangers spread, large-scale protests broke out in several Pakistani cities.
At several places, the protesters turned violent, damaging public property and setting police vehicles on fire.
Reports said that at least four people were killed and more than twelve injured in various parts of the country in violent clashes between security forces and Khan’s aides.
Senior PTI leader Shireen Mazari said, “At least four PTI workers have been killed in firing by law enforcement agencies in different parts of the country so far. One person each has been killed in Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta and Swat.”
He said that more than twelve were also damaged.
However, it was impossible to independently confirm the deaths.
During their clashes with security agencies in Lahore and Faisalabad, video footage shows that some PTI employees were injured by bullets.
Protests were still continuing in some areas in Lahore and Faisalabad.
In Faisalabad, Khan’s supporters also set ablaze some law enforcement vehicles.
According to pictures shared by PTI, the miscreants also set on fire a toll plaza on the Smack Motorway.
PTI released a video clip showing some protesters shouting slogans against the arrest of Imran Khan as they entered the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the army headquarters.
In Rawalpindi, where troops were restraining, Khan’s supporters broke down the main gate of the massive army headquarters for the first time.
Non-conformists raised slogans against the Foundation.
In Lahore, a large number of PTI workers barged into the residence of Corps Commander Lahore and broke window and gate.
Although angry protesters surrounded them and raised slogans against the PML-N-led government’s “handlers” at the military establishment, they did not attempt to stop the on-duty army personnel. Protesters demonstrated in the cantonment area.
Due to opposition on major roads, including those leading to and from the city, Lahore was virtually cut off from the rest of the province.
The caretaker Punjab government called in rangers to control the law and order situation in the most congested area and imposed Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of five persons at a certain point.
The Home Department said that there would be a ban on gatherings for two days.
In addition, the Punjab government requested that the Pakistan Telecom Authority suspend mobile and internet services in violent protest-prone areas of the province.
Similarly, the government of Balochistan imposed Section 144 in Quetta and other places to control political demonstrations and events.
A comparable step was taken by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, which prohibited assemblages in Peshawar and various urban areas in the region.
Corruption cases against Prime Ministers of Pakistan
Khan is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was arrested and hanged in 1979. The current prime minister’s brother, Nawaz Sharif, who also served as prime minister, was arrested several times on corruption charges.
In March, police stormed Khan’s Lahore residence, seeking to arrest him on the basis of a court order in a separate case. Dozens of people, including the police, were injured in the clash. Khan was not arrested at that time and later got bail in the case.
Khan came to power after winning parliamentary elections in 2018 and initially had good relations with the military, which gradually deteriorated.
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