The cricketer-turned-politician will be held for eight days, a judicial hearing in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad revealed.
During violent protests in Pakistan over the arrest of Imran Khan, the country’s former prime minister, who has been detained for eight days, at least four people have perished and hundreds have been detained.
According to authorities, a court hearing to determine whether Mr. Khan could be detained for up to 14 days took place today at the police facility where he is being confined.
A judge ruled that he can be detained for interrogation on charges of corruption for just over a week.
Pakistan’s GEO television aired footage of Mr. Khan appearing in the provisional courtroom before the judge. The former prime minister was observed sitting in a chair while holding documents and looking exhausted.
Tuesday, security forces apprehended a 70-year-old man at the High Court in the capital and dragged him into an armored vehicle before driving him away.
Since then, violent confrontations have erupted between his supporters and the police in several cities, resulting in fatalities – one in the city of Quetta in the south and three in Peshawar in the northwestern region of Pakistan.
In response to the violence, authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces have issued an emergency order prohibiting all gatherings.
Two provinces have requested that federal soldiers be deployed to restore order.
According to the police, 945 supporters of Mr. Khan have been detained in Punjab province, over 130 officers have been injured, 25 police vehicles have been set on fire, and approximately 14 government buildings have been severely damaged and ransacked.
His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called for nationwide peaceful demonstrations in response to Mr. Khan’s arrest.
PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi stated, “We continue to call on PTI family workers, supporters, and the people of Pakistan to take to the streets in peaceful protest against this unconstitutional behavior.”
He stated that the party’s leadership in Islamabad will appeal Mr. Khan’s imprisonment to the highest court.
As part of a planned protest march, Mr. Khan’s supporters in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been urged to assemble in the city of Swabi before departing for Islamabad.
In the eastern metropolis of Lahore, the residence of Lieutenant General Salman Fayyaz Ghania, a senior army officer, was set on fire.
Wednesday morning, police reported that at least 2,000 demonstrators still surrounded the residence, chanting slogans such as “Khan is our red line and you have crossed it.”
The police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of Mr. Khan’s supporters in the maritime city of Karachi.
At a news conference, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal stated, “This cannot be tolerated; the law will take its course.” “These violent attacks were not the result of a public outcry; rather, they were planned by PTI members.”
According to officials from Pakistan’s telecommunications authority, Internet services have been suspended nationwide, and access to Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook has been restricted.
Mr. Khan was arrested a day after the country’s powerful military criticized him for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of plotting his assassination and the former head of the armed forces of orchestrating his ouster in April.
Before traveling to Islamabad, he had recorded a video message in which he claimed that officials were seeking his detention to prevent him from campaigning.
The former cricket star-turned-politician, who has been advocating for new elections, has denounced the terrorism-related cases against him as a politically motivated conspiracy by his successor as prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif.
If convicted, he could be precluded from holding public office, with a general election scheduled for November.
Mr. Iqbal stated, “Imran Khan will have to face the law; if he is cleared, he will run for office; if he is found guilty, he will have to face the consequences.”
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned of additional unrest in the country, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stated that the United Kingdom is closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan.
“The detention of Pakistan’s former prime minister is a domestic matter. Mr. Sunak stated, “We support peaceful democratic processes and adherence to the rule of law, and we are closely monitoring the situation.”
