On May 11, 2023, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a close aide of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, was arrested by Islamabad Police and was taken to an undisclosed location.
A video of Pakistan’s Tehreek-I Insaaf (PTI) party on Twitter revealed that plain-clothed men took him away, waving at party workers before departing from the location.
His arrest comes days after the paramilitary forces, under the order of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials whisked away PTI Chief (Pakistan-Tehreek-e Insaaf) from the Islamabad Court on May 9, 2023.
Imran Khan’s arrest has sparked violent protests all across Pakistan, leaving at least eight people dead and three hundred injured in clashes between the protestors and governmental law and order agencies and subsequently prompting the authorities to deploy the army in Islamabad as well as in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan provinces on May 10, 2023 to restore law and order.
In an address to the nation on May 10, 2023, the current Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, said that strict action would be taken against the “states enemies” as he slammed PTI chief Imran Khan for the violent protests after his arrest in the Al Qadir Trust corruption case.
“The Miscreants will be dealt with iron hands. They will be punished according to the law,” Sharif said, urging the PTI workers and officials to stop these violent activities.
“They have attacked sensitive properties as well as if they were our enemies. I have never seen such heart-breaking scenes. We will not allow anyone to conspire. We will not let their nefarious agendas succeed,” said Pakistan PM.
Sharif’s address came after the Pakistan Cabinet decided to deploy the army in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the capital Islamabad.
He warned former supporters of Imran Khan’s party of severe retaliation in the wake of the attacks on sensitive institutions. He asserted that the government would not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands. He also described May 9, 2023, as a “Black Chapter in the country’s history.
After he was arrested based on a corruption case, the enraged supporters of Imran Khan went wild. They stormed the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and Corps Commander’s Residence and attacked military vehicles and installations.
In a terse statement, the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) (a media wing of the Pakistan Army) said, “We will not allow anyone to take laws into their own hands.”
According to the ISPR, on the one hand, these miscreants evoke the nation’s emotions for achieving their limited and selfish objectives and, on the other hand, deceive people and continue to highlight the army’s importance.
Another top PTI Leader, Fawad Chaudhary, was apprehended by the police on May 10 2023 while emerging from the Supreme Court Building, where he took shelter for twelve hours to evade his incoming arrest.
He entered the Court on May 10, 2023, knowing the law and enforcement were waiting to detain him. Despite remaining inside the apex court throughout the day, the Express Tribune newspaper reported that he was taken into custody late in the evening.
According to Dawn, the PTI has issued a rebuttal to the ISPR statement terming it contrary to the facts and based on a poor understanding of ground realities.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called for peace in Pakistan.
According to Farhan Haq, the spokesperson of The (UN Secretary-General), Guterres has appealed to all parties to respect the right to peaceful assembly and stressed the need for law enforcers to honour the law while enforcing it against Mr Khan.
On May 10, 2023, Imran Khan was placed in the Anti- Accountability Court no:1 presided by Judge Muhammad Bashir, the same judge who had convicted the former Prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam in the corruption case of having properties in London.
The court, in its verdict, has sentenced Imran Khan to eight-day remand to the NAB (National Accountability Board (NAB).
During the hearing, the NAB Lawyers requested the court grant a 14-day remand of Khan to probe the allegations against him in the Al-Qadir Trust case, where he is accused of looting 50 billion from the national treasury.
However, Imran Khan’s lawyer opposed the plea and asked the judges to release him as all the charges were fabricated. In his statement, Khan told the NAB that he was fearful for his life.
He said, “I have not been to the washroom in 24 hours.
“I am afraid I will meet the same fate as Maqsood Chaprasi.” the PTI chief said, referring to the witness in the Shahbaz Sharif Money laundering case who died due to cardiac arrest last year. Khan’s party had termed the witness’s death mysterious.
The PTI chief was in the court and pleaded not guilty when the charges were read. According to Geo News Channel, he also refused to sign the court documents.
The case was filed in 2022 by the Election Commissioner of Pakistan, and Imran Khan skipped several hearings in the past few months. The charges are about the allegations that the PTI Chief has concealed the sale of from the state gifts.
Imran Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership which he alleged was part of the US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.
Notably, he is the only Pakistani PM who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
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