Imran Khan Arrest Updates: Cricketer-turned-politician Arrested According to Law, Says PM Sharif; Army Says PTI Worse Than ‘Eternal Enemy’

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned the deadly protests by the supporters of former premier Imran Khan after his arrest in a corruption case and warned to deal with demonstrators with an iron fist.

The prime minister made a brief address to the nation after the country was rocked by deadly violence during the last two days which saw attacks on military installations and state properties.

“Attack on public property is an act of terrorism and enmity towards the country,” the prime minister said, adding that those taking the law into their own hands would be dealt with an iron fist.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Imran Khan’s arrest was according to law, and that no notices were issued during the cricketer-turned-politician’s tenure.

The Pakistan Army on Wednesday warned former prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters that will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands, describing May 9 as a “black chapter” in the country’s history in the wake of attacks on its installations.

Enraged over the arrest of their leader in a corruption case, the supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf: chief Khan stormed the General Headquarters of the Army and several other military properties and installations on Tuesday.

A political group, driven by power-hunger, has managed to do what the country’s eternal enemy couldn’t achieve in seventy-five years, the Pakistan Army said in a press release

District administration seeks army’s help in Islamabad as protests erupt following Imran Khan’s arrest

The government of Sindh imposed Section 144 to control the current law and order situation in the province following Khan’s arrest.

Following Imran Khan’s arrest, violent clashes erupted between protesters and police in Peshawar, resulting in the torching of multiple buildings, including the Radio Pakistan building.

Former Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been arrested.

Imran Khan Remanded in NAB Custody for 8 Days in Al-Qadir Trust Case

Fawad Chaudhry released a list where he said over 47 party workers have been killed in clashes.

Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), faced more legal problems on Wednesday as he was charged in the Toshakhana case, while the decision in the Al-Qadir Trust case has been reserved.

Pakistan deploys troops in Punjab, KP and Balochistan provinces to maintain order following clashes and protests after the arrest of Imran Khan. Over 1,000 arrests have been made and roads leading to Nawaz Sharif’s residence have been sealed. Read more here.

The former Pakistan prime minister said that a plot to kill him is being hatched as he was not allowed to use the washroom for over 24 hours, and he said he fears he will die.

On Tuesday, an accountability court postponed its decision regarding the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) request for a 14-day remand of Imran Khan, the chairman of PTI who was arrested the day before at the Islamabad High Court in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.

In a major relief for Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza, the National Accountability Bureau has declared the father-son duo were “innocent” in a money laundering case after it conducted a re-investigation, a media report said on Wednesday. The case was filed by the anti-corruption agency in 2020, which alleged that Shehbaz and his family members were involved in money laundering and illegal transfer of funds through fake accounts. The supplementary report was submitted to the accountability court and presented during the hearing conducted by Accountability Court judge Qamar-ul-Zaman, Samaa TV reported on its website.

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.