The High Court announced the arrest of Imran in a late night decision Al Qadir Trust Case Chief Justice Amir Farooq called senior officials of the administration to explain why the former PM was picked up from the court premises. Imran was in the High Court to hear matters not related to a case in which he and his wife allegedly paid bribes to help a firm 50 billion rupees ($239m) through their trust. had received
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a shock and awe on the streets of cities and towns across the country against the arrest of their party chief on the basis of a May 1 warrant issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman. response shown. In the case Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed. In Quetta, a party supporter was killed and several others, some of whom were policemen, were injured in the riots.
Armed men dragged Imran, 70, to the office of the anti-corruption watchdog in Rawalpindi, breaking down doors in the High Court building, jumping through broken windows and scuffling with PTI supporters and lawyers to reach him.
PM Shehbaz tweeted, “It should be made abundantly clear that you, as former Prime Minister, are currently facing trial for corruption, claiming legitimacy to subvert the legal and political system. “
live update of imran khan arrest
As news of Imran’s dramatic arrest and the alleged assault on his lawyers spread, crowds of protesters went berserk in Garrison City and elsewhere, with videos circulating on social media showing a crowd breaking into the army general headquarters Is.
In Islamabad, hundreds of PTI workers blocked the main Kashmir Highway, disrupting traffic on both sides of the road. A crowd in Peshawar watched as a replica of Chaghi Mountain was set on fire, built as a memorial to the site of the country’s 1998 nuclear tests.
In the southern port city of Karachi, PTI supporters created a ruckus outside the local party office along the busy Shahrah-e-Faisal road. Army barricades were set on fire in several posts. The government suspended internet across the country as part of a hasty move to quell rumors and unrest.
Security personnel fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters late into the night in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta and other parts of the country. Section 144, which bans demonstrations, failed to keep the mob at bay.
Analyst Zeeshan Salahuddin said, “It is difficult to predict where this country could go within the next 12 to 48 hours. The atmosphere is bitter, unclear and very uncertain at the moment.”
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah alleged that Imran and his current wife Bushra Bibi Khan were paid billions by a real estate tycoon to legalize their money laundering from the UK. “The money should have been deposited in the national treasury, but went to a property that was registered under the Al Qadir Trust,” he said at a presser.
The minister said the anti-corruption agency NAB, which ordered Imran’s arrest, “is an independent body and we have never tried to control it.”
Imran must have received the news of the arrest a few hours before going to the court. The PTI chief said, “If anyone has a warrant, they should bring it directly to me.” Bring the warrant, my lawyer will be there. I myself am ready to go to jail.
Imran’s lawyer Barrister Gohar Khan alleged that the former PM was “tortured” in custody. “They hit him on the head and legs.
Gauhar also alleged that the security personnel used pepper spray and tear gas during the operation.
Interior Minister Sanaullah protested the allegations. He tweeted, ‘He (Imran) was not tortured.’