Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sent to 8-day physical remand to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) by the Court. Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehrreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called for a nationwide ‘shutdown’ on May 10 against the arrest of the former Prime Minister, the Dawn reported.
The PTI leadership fiercely denounced Imran Khan’s arrest and urged people to protest the “rising fascism” by taking to the streets, warning that a “make-or-break moment” was drawing near. PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called a meeting of the “emergency committee” hours after Imran Khan’s arrest, including Senators Saifullah Khan, Azam Swati, and Ejaz Chaudhry, as well as senior PTI figures Murad Saeed, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, and Hassan Niazi, to assess the situation from all angles and present a thorough action plan, Dawn reported.
PTI workers held protests in cities across Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, reported Geo News. In Karachi, demonstrators clashed with the police near Nursery. They pelted stones at police vehicles and tore down street lights.
Imran Khan’s Arrest
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister was arrested outside Islamabad High Court. It was reported that the Pakistani Rangers took the former PM in custody when he had gone to the court seeking bail in multiple FIRs registered against him.
It is pertinent to note that Pakistan Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb recently said that Imran Khan’s arrest would solve Pakistan’s problems. She said that the former PM must be punished for conspiring against the country and corruption.
She further claimed that Imran Khan’s “dirty mentality” was creating intolerance and violence in society. “The country needs food, employment and business, and not fraud, mischief, disorder and distraction being promoted by Mr Khan,” she said.
Furthermore, she held Imran Khan responsible the ‘extremist attitude’ in Pakistan leading to mob lynchings.
Imran Khan playing politics on Kashmir
She blamed Imran Khan for ‘playing politics’ on India and Kashmir. She further claimed that the former PM was using Islam for “ulterior motives.” She accused Imran Khan of creating intolerance. Furthermore, she recalled that Imran Khan prayed for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s win during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
She said, referring to Imran Khan’s rallies, that the agitation was called at the time when the Chinese Foreign Minister was visiting Pakistan.
“Imran Khan has called for riots and anarchy after watching the video of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with King Charles,” the Minister said. She claimed while Shehbaz Sharif was holding meetings with world leaders, Imran Khan could not see it as he was “wearing a black bucket on his head”.
She claimed that after Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit to India for the SCO meeting, Imran Khan “completely lost his cool.” Furthermore, she advised the former PM to appear before courts and face cases filed against him instead of agitating on the streets.
