Imran Khan Arrest LIVE Updates: Ex-PM Presented Before Court; Roads Leading to Nawaz Sharif's Residence Sealed; 1,000 Held So far

Around 1,000 people have been arrested in Pakistan’s Punjab, the country’s most populous province, since protests erupted after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, police said Wednesday. “Police teams arrested 945 law breakers and miscreants from across the province,” officials said in a statement to media, adding 130 officers and officials were injured in the violence that broke out after Khan’s arrest on Tuesday.

The Indian High Commission in Pakistan has informed the athletes participating in Bridge Championship in Lahore to leave the country immediately. There were around 20 players in Pakistan for the sporting event.

PTI general secretary Asad Umar was arrested on Wednesday and taken away from the Islamabad High Court premises by officials of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Islamabad police, Dawn reported.

The Pakistan Army did not play a part in the arrest of opposition leader and former prime minister Imran Khan, the government said. The government said that the Pakistan National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Khan lawfully and it is not connected with the Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was arrested as part of the ongoing investigation in the Al-Qadir Trust case where the former prime minister and his wife, the former first lady, Bushra Bibi, are being accused of taking bribes to whitewash large sums of money. He was arrested from the Islamabad judicial complex as he was about to appear at the Islamabad high court to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him. READ MORE

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will appear in a special court at the capital’s police headquarters on Wednesday to address graft accusations, a day after his detention sparked widespread demonstrations. Khan has faced dozens of charges since being ousted in April — a tactic analysts say successive Pakistan governments have used to silence their opponents. He could be barred from holding public office if convicted, which would exclude him from elections scheduled for later this year. READ MORE

Pakistan government on Wednesday said that Ex-PM Imran Khan was involved in graft case and was found guilty. The Shehbaz Sharif government also accused Imran Khan of spreading anarchy, chaos and destruction to protect himself. They also said that Khan demonstrated the worst kind of fascism.

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan is likely to remain in the custody of the country’s anti-graft agency for “four to five days” and is expected to be presented before an accountability court, a media report said on Wednesday. Khan’s party has claimed that at least four people were killed and over a dozen injured in different parts of the country in violent clashes between the security forces and PTI supporters. Khan will be presented before the accountability court on Wednesday, a NAB source was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. “We will do our best to keep him under custody for at least four to five days,” the source said.

The United States called for respect of democratic principles and the rule of law in Pakistan in the aftermath of the arrest of its former prime minister Imran Khan. “We are aware of the arrest of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan. As we have said before, the United States does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus another,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference. At a joint news conference with his British counterpart, James Cleverly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they want rule of law to be followed in this South Asian country.

Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said Imran Khan had been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in accordance with the law. “NAB is an independent body and not under government control.” The PTI promised on Twitter to challenge the arrest, saying party leadership would gather Wednesday morning at Pakistan’s Supreme Court. “PTI senior leaders will meet Imran Khan at the NAB court,” Shah Mehmood Qureshi, vice chairman of the party, said and called for demonstrations to continue in a “lawful and peaceful manner” while condemning police treatment of protesters.

After the news of Imran Khan’s arrest, Pakistani protesters took out their wrath on the military, torching the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and laying siege to the army’s general headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Local media reported two deaths in those clashes. In a video that has gone viral on social media, a protestor can be seen holding a peacock in his arms saying he took the bird because it was bought with ‘citizen’s money’.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on Wednesday announced that it will challenge in the Supreme Court the ruling of the Islamabad High Court which termed the arrest of its chief and former prime minister Imran Khan as legal, according to a media report. Khan, 70, was arrested by the paramilitary Rangers in a corruption case from the IHC and bundled into a prison van sparking massive protests across the country by supporters of his PTI party. Following Khan’s arrest, PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi summoned an emergency meeting of the seven-member committee to review the situation and devise a comprehensive strategy to secure the safe and early release of the party chair, the Geo News reported.

From Islamabad to London, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called for protests denouncing the arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has stated that they are fighting to release Imran Khan from what he calls an “illegal abduction.” He also urged the party members, workers, and the people of Pakistan to join them in peaceful protests against this unconstitutional behaviour. Qureshi accused the authorities of using chemical water and firing indiscriminately at PTI workers and alleged that his offices in Multan were raided, and his staff was beaten up. READ MORE

In the wake of the ongoing violent protests against Imran Khan’s arrest, the US Embassy in Islamabad has announced cancelling all consular appointments on Wednesday. The US Embassy said it is cancelling all consular appointments because of potential traffic disruptions and restrictions amid nationwide protests across Pakistan. “The US. Embassy is monitoring earlier reports of clashes between demonstrators and police in Islamabad and also sporadic demonstrations underway or being planned elsewhere throughout Pakistan. Because of potential traffic disruptions and restrictions, US Embassy Islamabad has canceled all consular appointments for tomorrow, May 10, 2023,” a statement of the US Embassy in Pakistan said.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership has strongly condemned the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan and announced a nationwide strike on Wednesday. It appealed to the people to come out onto the streets against the “rising fascism”. The party also announced that the schedule of public meetings across the country, approved by Imran Khan days before his arrest, would remain unchanged.