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.
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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.
The PTI leaders and party cadres are protesting against the arrest in all major cities of Pakistan and have demanded a total shutdown of the nation. Some of these protests have turned violent with public property being set ablaze in some places.
The government blamed PTI leaders and “misguided” workers for the nuisance. “Nefarious leaders of PTI incited their misguided workers and caused unnecessary damage to government properties and military installations and buildings, using their agitation and pressure tactics to further their political agenda,” the government said, according to news outlet GeoTV.
The government said that some leaders were inciting people and asking them to partake in violent activities. “Such an act cannot be tolerated in any case and will be dealt with according to the law,” the government said.
The government added that law enforcement agencies are exercising their restraint and will continue to do so despite the violence by PTI leadership.
It said that if the PTI continues to use the strategy of agitation and pressure on people to further their political gains, they will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
“Such extremist elements and their patrons will be dealt with in accordance with the law, and no miscreant can be allowed to destroy the peace and tranquillity of the country,” the government said, according to GeoTV.
Khan’s arrest coincidentally comes after Pakistan military warned him against levelling accusations of engineering his assassination on a senior military officer and the former armed forces chief.
Three out of four Pakistan’s provinces imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings after Khan’s supporters clashed with police.
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