NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was on Tuesday arrested amid high drama as paramilitary Rangers suddenly swooped down on him on the Islamabad High Court premises and bundled him into a waiting prison van. TV images of the Rangers grabbing Imran by the collar and taking him to the van sparked massive protests across the country.
Angry workers of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf stormed the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, but troops exercised restraint. In Lahore, a mob attacked the Corps Commander’s residence, smashing its gates and window panes. There were reports of Lahore being cut off from the rest of the province because of massive protests on its main roads.
Protesters at several places also burned police vehicles and damaged public property. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 were imposed in several districts to contain the violence while access to social media was restricted. Imran had just arrived from Lahore to appear in an Al-Qadir Trust corruption case when the Rangers nabbed him after shoving aside his lawyers and bodyguards.
The Islamabad police said the arrest was in connection with him and his wife illegally receiving billions in Pakistani currency for legalising a laundered amount of Rs 50 billion when he was in power. Imran had failed to appear before the court earlier despite several notices. Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard arguments on the dramatic arrest on its premises but later ruled his detention was ‘legal’.
Imran’s constant diatribe against the powerful military establishment put him in the army’s cross-hairs. It was particularly upset over him naming Major General Faisal Naseer, deputy director general for counterintelligence (DGCI) at the ISI, as the officer who had attempted to kill him a few months ago. Imran fears Major Gen Naseer might manipulate the judiciary to amplify his troubles, the way his loyalist Lt Gen Faiz Hameed did the dirty work against Nawaz Sharif when he was DGCI.