Imran Khan: Pakistan on edge as ex-PM charged with corruption and supporters face off against military

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) Pakistan’s former prime minister, Imran Khan, appeared in court to answer corruption charges a day after he was dramatically arrested by paramilitary forces that sparked a deadly clash.

The charges relate to the sale of gifts sent to him by foreign leaders while in office. His attorney said CNN Khan declined to press charges.

Khan claims he was “tortured and beaten all night” while in custody, his attorney told CNN.

Khan was arrested on Tuesday in another corruption case and charged with illegally acquiring land and building a university.

His arrest has accelerated an already tense confrontation between the country’s powerful military and his supporters. caused a scene.

Three of his supporters were killed in clashes in Peshawar city and nearly 30 were injured, a hospital spokesman said.

Clashes continued on Wednesday, with hundreds of Khan supporters storming the headquarters of state broadcaster Radio Pakistan in Peshawar, according to a CNN journalist at the scene.

Photos from the streets of Peshawar showed security forces firing tear gas into the crowd.

Police said about 1,000 Khan supporters had been arrested after 25 police vehicles and more than 14 government buildings were set on fire in Punjab, Reuters reported.

Authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces have also imposed emergency orders banning all gatherings, Reuters added.

Pakistan’s Minister of Planning and Development Afsan Iqbal told reporters on Wednesday that Mr Khan “chosen the path of spreading anarchy, chaos and destruction” to “defend himself from responsibility”.

“I want to ensure there is no political revenge,” he added.

Police said Wednesday’s hearing was held at a police station rather than in a courtroom.

A video before Khan’s arrest on Tuesday showed paramilitaries breaking windows to gain access to politicians who were watching the unfolding chaos calmly. Khan was then taken to a car surrounded by dozens of guards and taken away.

In a recorded statement released on YouTube by the political party Pakistan Terek Einsakh (PTI) after Mr Khan’s arrest, the former prime minister said he had been “detained on unjustified charges” and urged his supporters to “settle everything”. The time has come,” he said. For you to come and fight for your rights. “

“I have always obeyed the law. I have been arrested and cannot follow my political path for the basic rights of this country and this corrupt government of fraudsters who have been hoaxed to us.” I can’t follow you,” he said in the video.

That afternoon, violent protests erupted in several cities.

Khan’s supporters, armed with sticks, stormed the military headquarters in Rawalpindi city just outside the capital and raised their voices in support of the former leader.

Protesters also blocked one of the main roads into Islamabad, throwing stones and dragging road signs. A police car was set ablaze and police retaliated with tear gas.

Meanwhile, in the southwestern city of Quetta, a Khan supporter was shot dead by police during a protest, according to a CNN journalist at the scene.

In an attempt to calm the chaos, authorities soon blocked mobile internet services and disrupted access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in the country of 270 million people. Private schools across the country were ordered to close on Wednesday, according to the Private Schools Association.

At least 43 protesters were arrested in Islamabad on Tuesday, city police said on Twitter.

Said Bakir Sajad, a Pakistan Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, said that while previous Pakistani leaders faced arrest and politicians had challenged military rule in the past, Khan’s important public He said the support made the situation “unique”.

“There are many risks facing Pakistan in this situation,” he said. “The strength of cohesion and the image of the military as guardians of the nation are being seriously challenged, leading to a loss of public trust in the organization, which can lead to instability and social unrest. “

crisis in pakistan

Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament last year and has since led a popular movement accusing the current government, led by Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif, of colluding with the military to remove him from office.

The former star cricketer-turned-populist politician denies the charges against him, accusing Sharif and the military of playing political games. Sharif, who was recently in the UK, denied Khan’s accusations.

Tensions have led Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state of about 220 million people who has grappled with political instability for decades, into uncharted territory, often devolving into violence.

Last November, Khan survived a shooting at a political rally in what his party called an assassination attempt.

And in March, chaos erupted outside Khan’s Lahore home after hundreds of his supporters challenged police and militia that had arrived to escort him. Police were forced to suspend operations after protests turned violent. This is one of many unsuccessful attempts by the police to arrest Khan.

Khan’s claims resonate with the country’s young population, where anti-establishment sentiment is common, fueled by the rising cost of living crisis as rapid inflation makes ordinary commodities increasingly unmanageable.

“This is putting more and more pressure on the military, which is feeling the heat more this time around,” Sajjad said. “The intensity and consistency of attacks on Imran Khan’s forces are unprecedented, especially after his downfall last year.”

Amid the crisis, the government has so far failed to reach a deal with the International Monetary Fund to restart a $6.5 billion loan program that has stalled since November to keep the economy going.

Political turmoil seems to have boosted Khan’s popularity. Last year, his PTI party won local elections in Punjab, the most populous state in the country, and was seen as a litmus test for national elections.

Political polarization and economic crisis have left Pakistan at a “critical crossroads” and the situation “could become a permanent crisis,” Sajad said.

Pakistan’s future trajectory “will largely depend on how its leaders navigate the ongoing crisis, whether they can find ways to address public grievances and restore stability,” he said. he added.