Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested by Pakistani paramilitary forces in the Al-Qadir Trust case from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Tuesday.
According to the details, former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested by paramilitary Ranger forces outside an Islamabad court.
There was also a scuffle between the Ranger and PTI lawyers present there on the occasion of Imran Khan’s arrest.
However, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad has said that Imran Khan has been arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The police officials distance themselves from the arrest, saying that the NAB had summoned the Rangers for the task.
It is to be mentioned that for the last few days, the Pakistani army and the former prime minister have been making statements against each other.
After the assassination attempt of the PTI chief last year, Imran Khan blamed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and a senior intelligence official for the attempted assassination of him.
In this regard, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had said that Imran Niazi’s defamation and threats to the Pakistan Army and intelligence agency for petty political gains are highly condemnable
According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), it has become a continuous practice for the last year, in which personnel of military and intelligence agencies are subjected to provocative and sensational propaganda to achieve political objectives.
“Imran Khan has made highly irresponsible and baseless allegations against a serving senior army officer without any evidence.”
“We call upon the concerned political leader to take the legal route and stop making false allegations,” the ISPR said.
ISPR further added that this fabricated, malicious allegation is highly regrettable, condemnable, and unacceptable.
Following Khan’s arrest, protests erupted across Pakistan. Thousands of people came out on the streets in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Quetta, and other major cities, chanting slogans against the military and calling for Khan’s immediate release.
Videos posted on social media show unprecedented scenes: PTI workers storming the General Headquarters of the Pakistani Army in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander’s house in Lahore. In Quetta, droves of people gathered in front of the Cantt. The police opened live fire on PTI workers, leading to multiple deaths and injuries.
The military officials have been silent on the protests so far.