Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested by the country’s anti-corruption force on Tuesday, sparking fresh protests by his supporters in an already volatile political climate.
The unrest prompted Pakistan’s government to impose restrictions on messaging services and social networks, according to executives at internet companies, as protests began spreading in reaction to the arrest of the 70-year-old opposition figure.
Khan had been detained earlier on Tuesday outside the court in Islamabad where he was due to face charges. A video posted by his party showed the former cricket star being dragged into an armoured vehicle by a crowd of government agents, many carrying riot shields.
“Imran Khan has been arrested because he was being sought in a graft case,” Pakistan’s interior minister Rana Sanaullah told a press conference. He said the allegations related to the purchase of land by a charitable trust controlled by Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
The arrest of Pakistan’s most popular politician by the National Accountability Bureau follows months of protests by supporters of the conservative former premier, who was ousted by lawmakers in a no-confidence vote last April.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded his immediate release and encouraged his supporters to “come out” for protests. Police in Lahore were put on a high alert after demonstrators began gathering in the city centre. Thousands of people protested in Lahore, the Associated Press reported, while crowds also gathered in other large cities.
The PTI said in a tweet that paramilitary “rangers [had] abducted” Khan. Shireen Mazari, a senior PTI leader, questioned the legitimacy of the arrest. “In the specific matter of this land case, Imran Khan was not issued with any notice ahead of his arrest. He was suddenly picked up after being attacked viciously,” she said.
The EU called for “restraint and cool headedness” in the crisis, urging Pakistanis to address problems “through sincere dialogue and in line with the rule of law”.
In a rare move, Pakistani authorities late on Tuesday began to restrict access to digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, according to senior executives at two internet providers. Political groups including Khan’s PTI increasingly rely on the platforms to spread messages and garner support.
One executive said: “Imran Khan’s supporters, in the hours after his arrest, shared videos of people getting violent, which prompted the restriction.”
The second executive said authorities were “closely looking” to restrict WhatsApp services “after they discovered too many provocative videos making the rounds”.
Internet monitoring group NetBlocks said Twitter, Facebook and YouTube had been disrupted via several internet providers, while “total internet shutdowns” were evident in some regions.
Earlier this year, arrest threats against the former premier sparked protests in Islamabad, and police clashed with Khan’s supporters outside his residence in Lahore in March.
“Things are already very bad and this will only aggravate Pakistan’s situation,” said Ayaz Amir, a former member of parliament. “The manner in which Khan was arrested will not leave a good impression on anyone.”
Khan lost the vote of no confidence last year after his premiership, which began in 2018, became mired in economic problems.
The defiant former premier has remained at odds with his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, claiming his removal was the result of a western-backed plot. The further deterioration of Pakistan’s economy has increasingly pushed support towards Khan and away from Sharif.
Khan was shot while taking part in a protest convoy in Wazirabad last November and suffered a leg injury.
National elections are due in October in the nuclear-armed nation, but Khan faces a barrage of legal challenges that could disqualify him from running, including allegations that he unlawfully sold gifts he received while serving as prime minister.
The arrest came the day after Pakistan’s powerful army criticised Khan for accusing a senior general of backing the failed assassination attempt against him.
“These fabricated and malicious allegations [by Khan] are extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable,” the army said in a rare statement on Monday.
“This has been a consistent pattern for [the] last one year wherein military and intelligence agencies’ officials are targeted with insinuations and sensational propaganda for the furtherance of political objectives,” the army said.
The political turmoil comes at a time of deepening financial distress for Pakistan, whose economy has slowed sharply after its central bank raised interest rates to record levels.
The country’s $6.5bn programme with the IMF has been stalled since November and is set to expire in June. Foreign exchange reserves have dwindled to $4.457bn, barely enough to cover a month’s worth of imports.
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