Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan arrested during court appearance

Pakistan’s anti-corruption agents on Tuesday arrested former prime minister Imran Khan as he appeared in court in the capital, Islamabad, to face charges in multiple corruption cases, police and officials from his party said.

The arrests, which marked a dramatic escalation in Pakistan’s political scene, drew nationwide condemnation from supporters of the popular opposition leader and former cricket star.

Khan was dragged outside the Islamabad High Court and pushed into a police vehicle by agents from the National Accountability Bureau, according to Fawad Chaudhry, a senior official with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

Chaudhry denounced the arrest as “kidnapping.” Pakistan’s independent GEO TV broadcast footage of the 72-year-old Khan being pulled by security forces into an armored vehicle, which took him away.

“Imran Khan has been arrested as he is wanted in a corruption case,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said at a press conference. He said that Khan had caused loss of millions of dollars to the state exchequer by illegally buying land from business tycoons while in office.

Expelled last year

Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He claimed the overthrow was illegal and a Western conspiracy, and had campaigned against the government of his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, demanding early elections.

After Khan was expelled, a scuffle broke out between Khan’s supporters and the police. Chaudhry said several of Khan’s lawyers and supporters were injured in the scuffle, as were several policemen. Khan’s party immediately complained to the Islamabad High Court, which sought a police report explaining Khan’s alleged arrest.

Officials from the anti-corruption agency said that Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau had issued an arrest warrant for Khan last week in a separate corruption case, for which he has not been granted bail – something that would have protected him from arrest under the country’s law. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Khan would be brought before an anti-corruption court later on Tuesday.

Islamabad Police confirmed the arrest. Khan was later transferred to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, where he will be questioned at the National Accountability Bureau office. He will also have to undergo a medical examination, as per procedure, police said.

Earlier in the day, Khan had arrived in Islamabad from a city near Lahore, where he lives, to face charges before the Islamabad High Court in several cases of corruption against people. The former cricket star-turned-politician said the case, which included terrorism charges, was a plot by the Sharif government to smear him.

As news of the arrest spread, Khan’s supporters began gathering in Lahore, chanting anti-government slogans.

‘Clear disturbance’

The arrest was a “blatant interference in the judicial affairs by the authorities,” Raoof Hasan, another leader of Khan’s party, told British television Al Jazeera. “We are completely in the dark. He was actually kidnapped from the court of law.”

In the port city of Karachi, police swung batons and fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Khan supporters who had blocked a main road. Police also tried to disperse protesters in Lahore, who briefly blocked key roads on Friday as they rallied, mostly peacefully, against Khan’s arrest.

The arrest came hours after Khan released a video message before traveling to Islamabad, saying he was “mentally prepared” to be arrested – an indication he may know what awaits him in the capital.

Khan was wounded by a shooter during a rally last November – an attack that killed one of his supporters and injured 13. He has insisted, without providing any evidence, that there is a plot to kill people, and has alleged that the state spy agency. there is a conspiracy to kill people.

The gunman was immediately arrested, and police later released a video of his arrest, allegedly acting alone.

On Monday, the military in a strongly worded statement criticized Khan for “false and malicious allegations” of his involvement in the November shooting.

After Khan’s arrest, Sharif, whose government faces a dire economy and is struggling to recover from last year’s devastating floods – which killed hundreds and caused billions of dollars in damage – slammed Khan for attacking the military.

“Let it be very clear that you, as a former prime minister, are now on trial for corruption, claiming legitimacy to overturn the legal and political system,” tweeted Sharif.