Imran Khan suddenly: Pakistan in turmoil amid fears of further crackdown | World news

Pakistan was on a knife’s edge on Wednesday as protests erupted in several cities following the arrest of former president Imran Khan on corruption charges, with fears growing of further losses to the cricketer-turned-politician Pakistan Tehreek-e -Insaf (PTI).

Soon after Khan, 70, was escorted out of the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday by dozens of officers from the military-led military, PTI workers protested in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.

In the garrison city of Rawalpindi, protesters entered a compound near the army General Headquarters (GHQ) where military ceremonies were held after closing the low-security gates. Protesters also stormed and damaged the army chief’s residence in Lahore – scenes that have not been witnessed in stormy protests in the past and have the potential to spark a clash between the powerful military and the PTI.

Khan has been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan’s main anti-graft agency, with help from the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers on the ground that he has repeatedly ignored notices to join the investigation into what has become known like Al Qadir A matter of trust.

NAB has alleged that the Khan government has struck a deal with real estate tycoon Malik Riaz that caused a loss of over $239 million to the state treasury. Khan also faces allegations that he and his wife took billions of rupees and large plots of land belonging to Riaz’s company, Bahria Town, for violating the law. ₹50 billion that was identified and returned to Pakistan by the UK National Crime Agency following an investigation into Riaz.

Khan is also facing charges in several other cases brought against him since he was removed from the post of prime minister in a parliamentary vote of confidence on April 22. These include charges of inciting mutiny and corruption. for allegedly withholding or selling gifts given by foreign heads of state while in office.

But the manner in which he was arrested by the Pakistan Rangers, which is led by military personnel, has led many to conclude that the action was the result of the military’s anger against Khan for publicly appointing a senior Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief. in connection with the alleged attempt on his life. While addressing a rally in Lahore on Saturday, Khan accused Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, director general of intelligence in the ISI, of trying to kill him twice. Although Khan has referred to the same general obliquely by using the nickname “Dirty Harry” in recent texts, he has not named Naseer publicly.

More than any other Pakistani leader in recent decades, Khan has openly challenged the powerful military that has ruled the country for nearly half of its history. Some even believe that he has been trying to create division within the army, because he is supposed to enjoy the support of some retired generals and servants.

However, Khan’s detractors have pointed out that he came to power in the 2018 election largely because of the support of the military, which allegedly forced influential politicians from other parties to join the PTI and indirectly influence the outcome of the election to benefit the people. former cricketer

In recent weeks, Khan has also made unsubstantiated allegations that the current coalition government – the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) led by President Shehbaz Sharif – is colluding with the military and the US to keep him out of power. .

In an editorial titled “The die is cast”, the influential Dawn newspaper pointed to the small possibility of a negotiated way out of the political crisis, which has come at a time when Pakistan is struggling to get a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. (IMF).

“The damage of the new clashes between the PTI and the state means that any hope of a successful negotiation in the ongoing politics can be put to rest,” the editor said, adding that the use of the Pakistan Rangers is not a regular police force to delay. Khan supported the thesis that he had been moved not for corruption, but for “an entirely different reason”.

The protests that erupted following Khan’s arrest “strongly signal that public anger is still directed at the military” and videos from many of the protests “suggest that people are angry enough to cross lines no one has dared to cross before,” said the editor.

“The events of the last 13 months have seen the military’s past – particularly with respect to its political influence – quickly caught up with it amid Pakistan’s unprecedented crisis,” he said.

Removing Khan from the picture does not solve anything and his arrest “may have damaged the historic bond between the people and the armed forces of the country”, the editor warned.