Imran Khan arrest – live: Pakistan’s former prime minister detained by security forces in Islamabad
Senior politician calls for retaliation protests in the country
Former prime minister Imran Khan has been arrested by Pakistan’s security forces during a scheduled court appearance in Islamabad, officials from his party say.
Mr Khan’s party PTI released video footage purporting to show a large crowd of police officers dressed in riot gear escorting the former prime minister to a waiting vehicle.
His lawyer said in a video posted to Twitter that he had been taken into custody outside the Islamabad High Court, and that he was “badly injured” in the process.
PTI official Musarrat Cheema posted a video on Twitter in which she claimed that “they are torturing Imran Khan right now […] they are beating Khan sahib. They have done something with Khan sahib.”
Senior PTI politician, Azhar Mashwani, tweeted a call to start protests across Pakistan.
Hammad Azhar, a former minister in Mr Khan’s ousted government, said the arrest was “not acceptable” and that for the party it represents “our red line”.
The party said Mr Khan had been taken into custody by the Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary group operated by the federal interior ministry.
Khan taken to garrison city of Rawalpindi
Mr Khan was taken to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, for questioning at the offices of the National Accountability Bureau, according to police and government officials.
He had arrived at Islamabad High Court from nearby Lahore, where he lives, to face charges in the corruption cases.
He has denounced the cases against him, which include terrorism charges, as a politically motivated plot by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, saying his removal was illegal and a western conspiracy. Khan has campaigned against Mr Sharif and demanded early elections.
Tuesday’s arrest was based on a new warrant from the National Accountability Bureau obtained last week in a separate case for which Khan had not been granted bail, making him vulnerable to be seized, and his lawyers have challenged the legality of the arrest. He is scheduled to appear at an anti-corruption tribunal on Wednesday, officials said.
“Imran Khan has been arrested because he was being sought in a graft case,” interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told a news conference.
He alleged Pakistan’s treasury had lost millions of dollars while Khan was in office due to illegal purchases of lands from a business tycoon.
Law minister denounces violence
At a news conference, law minister Azam Tarar said Khan was arrested because he was not cooperating with the investigations. He also denounced the violence by Khan supporters, saying protests must remain peaceful.
“It should have not happened,” he said, shortly after TV video emerged of burning vehicles and damaged public property in parts of the country.
Authorities said they have banned rallies in the eastern province of Punjab.
As the news of the arrest spread, about 4,000 Khan supporters stormed the official residence of the top regional commander in Lahore, smashing windows and doors, damaging furniture and staging a sit-in as troops retreated to avoid violence. The protesters also burned police vehicles and blocked key roads.
Protesters also smashed the main gate of the army’s headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where troops exercised restraint. Hundreds of demonstrators shouted pro-Khan slogans as they moved towards the sprawling building.
In Karachi, police swung batons and fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Khan supporters who had gathered on a key road.
Khan arrest is ‘blatant interference in the judicial affairs'
Raoof Hasan, another leader from Khan’s party, told Al Jazeera English television that the arrest was “blatant interference in the judicial affairs by the powers-that-be”. He added that Khan “was virtually abducted from the court of law”.
Khan’s arrest came hours after he issued a video message before heading to Islamabad, saying he was “mentally prepared” for arrest.
Khan was wounded by a gunman at a rally in November in an attack that killed one of his supporters and wounded 13.
He has insisted, without offering any evidence, that there is a plot to assassinate him, alleging that Pakistan’s spy agency was behind the conspiracy.
The gunman was immediately arrested and police later released a video of him in custody, allegedly saying he had acted alone.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, the military accused Khan of “fabricated and malicious allegations” about its involvement in the November shooting, saying they are “extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable”.
The military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of the 75 years since the country gained independence from British colonial rule, and wields considerable power over civilian governments.
Mr Sharif, whose government faces spiralling economic woes, condemned Khan for criticising the military.
“Let this be abundantly clear that you, as former prime minister, currently on trial for corruption, are claiming legitimacy to overturn the legal and political system,” Mr Sharif tweeted after Khan’s arrest.
We’re pausing our live coverage of Imran Khan’s arrest for the evening, but keep checking independent.co.uk for the latest updates.
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