Imran Khan’s arrest: Supporters storm Army headquarters, Corps Commander’s residence

Former prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest turns violence in Lahore. He was arrested by rangers from the Islamabad High Court, for the Al-Qadir Trust case which is about the setting up of Al-Qadir University for Sufism in the 2019 Sohawa area of Jhelum district of Punjab.

His arrest spark massive protests across Pakistan by his supporters who stormed the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore. The arrest of the 70-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician comes a day after the powerful army accused Khan of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI.

The chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who travelled from Lahore to the federal capital Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric process at the court when the Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khan’s security staff, according to senior party leader Shireen Mazari. Khan’s arrest warrant, issued on May 1, said that he was accused of corruption and corrupt practice.

Lahore was virtually cut off from the rest of the province because of the protest on main roads including the entry and exit points. The caretaker Punjab government called the Rangers to control the law-and-order situation in the province and imposed section 144 under which not more than five people can gather at one point. The Punjab government also requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to suspend Internet and mobile services in the areas of the province where violent protests took place.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment in the case about the arrest of Khan from the court premises. Currently, Khan is facing over 140 cases related to terrorism, blasphemy, murder, violence, and inciting violence.