Imran Khan, ex-Pakistani PM, is arrested, his party says

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s anti-graft brokers on Tuesday arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan as he seemed in a court docket within the capital, Islamabad, to stand fees in a couple of graft circumstances, police and officers from his party mentioned.

The arrest, which marks a dramatic escalation on Pakistan’s political scene, drew national condemnation from the supporters of the preferred opposition chief and previous cricket famous person.

Khan used to be dragged out of doors the Islamabad High Court and driven right into a police car by means of brokers from the National Accountability Bureau, in line with Fawad Chaudhry, a senior reliable with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

Chaudhry denounced the arrest as “an abduction.” Pakistan’s impartial GEO TV broadcast photographs of the 72-year-old Khan being pulled by means of safety forces in opposition to an armored car, which took him away.

Khan used to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He has claimed his ouster used to be unlawful and a Western conspiracy and has campaigned towards the federal government of his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, difficult early elections.

After Khan used to be whisked away, a scuffle broke out between Khan’s supporters and police. Chaudhry mentioned a few of Khan’s attorneys and supporters had been injured within the scuffle, as had been a number of policemen. Khan’s party right away complained to the Islamabad High Court, which asked a police record explaining the fees for Khan’s arrest.

Officials from the anti-corruption frame mentioned that Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau had issued arrest warrants for Khan ultimate week in a separate graft case, for which he had no longer got bail — one thing that may offer protection to him from arrest below the rustic’s regulations. The officers, who spoke on situation of anonymity, mentioned Khan can be introduced to seem ahead of an anti-graft tribunal in a while Tuesday.

Islamabad police showed the arrest. There used to be no commentary from Sharif’s authorities.

Earlier within the day, Khan had arrived in Islamabad from the within sight town of Lahore, the place he is living, to stand fees ahead of the Islamabad High Court in a couple of graft circumstances towards him. He has claimed that the circumstances, which come with terrorism fees, are a plot by means of Sharif’s authorities to discredit the previous cricket famous person became Islamist flesh presser.

As the news of the arrest unfold, Khan’s supporters began accumulating in Lahore, chanting anti-government slogans.

Khan is the 7th former high minister to be arrested in Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto used to be arrested and hanged in 1979. The present high minister’s brother, Nawaz Sharif, who additionally served as high minister, used to be arrested on a number of events over corruption allegations.

Khan’s arrest got here hours after he issued a video message ahead of heading to Islamabad, pronouncing he used to be “mentally prepared” for arrest — a sign he could have identified what awaited him within the capital.

Khan, who used to be wounded by means of a shooter all through a rally ultimate November — an assault which killed considered one of his supporters and wounded 13 — has insisted with out providing any proof that there is a plot to kill him, and has alleged that the rustic’s undercover agent company used to be in the back of the conspiracy to assassinate him.

The gunman used to be right away arrested, and police later launched a video of him in custody, allegedly pronouncing he had acted by myself.

On Monday, the army in a strongly worded commentary criticized the Khan of “fabricated and malicious allegations” of its involvement within the November capturing, pronouncing they’re “extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable.”

In March, police stormed Khan’s Lahore place of dwelling, looking for to arrest him in response to a court docket order in a distinct case. Dozens of other folks, together with policemen, had been injured in resulting clashes. Khan used to be no longer arrested on the time and later were given bail ibn the case.

Khan got here to energy in 2018 after profitable parliamentary elections. His to begin with just right family members with the rustic’s army soured progressively. The army has immediately dominated Pakistan for greater than part of the 75 years because the nation received independence from British colonial rule, and wields substantial energy over civilian governments.