The Pakistani government has called on the army to help end deadly unrest following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and warned protesters against further attacks on state installations.
At least five people have been killed in violence after Khan — Pakistan’s most popular political leader according to polls — was arrested on Tuesday in a land fraud case. Lahore.
Other state buildings and assets have been attacked and burned by protesters, and the government said on Wednesday it had approved requests from two of Pakistan’s four provinces — Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, both Khan strongholds — and the federal capital Islamabad to deploy troops in to restore order.
Earlier, the military issued a statement saying it had exercised restraint during past violence, but any further attacks on the military or law enforcement agencies, state installations and property “will be met with severe retaliation.”
It promised strict measures against those who want to push Pakistan towards a ‘civil war’. It called the organized attacks on its installations a “black chapter” in the country’s political history.
Khan detained in police guest house
As protests raged in the streets, a Pakistani court handed over 70-year-old Khan to Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), for eight days for further questioning. The former international cricket star is now being held in a police guesthouse in Islamabad.
Another court indicted Khan earlier on Wednesday on charges of selling state gifts during his four years in power, a day after his arrest in the unrelated fraud case.
The indictment followed a decision by Pakistan’s Election Commission last October that found Khan guilty of illegally selling state gifts between 2018 and 2022, and consequently banned him from holding public office until the next election in November. He has denied any allegation.
Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, a legislator from the government coalition who was a plaintiff in the case against Khan over state gifts, accused him of “risking the peace of the country”.
Arrest was ‘kidnapping and completely illegal’
Mobile data services were shut down for a second day on Wednesday as street protests continued, with federal ministers accusing Khan’s supporters of setting fire to several buildings and vehicles.
Police said they had arrested more than 1,400 protesters over violence in Khan’s home province of Punjab.
Murad Saeed, a senior leader of Khan’s party, says the way the former prime minister was arrested was “kidnapping and completely illegal”.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Saeed said the public’s reaction to Khan’s arrest showed the popularity of the former prime minister.
Saeed denied that party operatives were behind violent protests and riots that damaged multiple public and private properties, including military installations, across the country.
“You must have seen that PTI has been holding public rallies and demonstrations since a year after our government was overthrown. Our supporters know exactly in which area we gather to hold our protests, but this time there were some elements in our midst that did not belong to the party,” Saeed claimed.
Asad Umar, general secretary of Khan’s party, and Fawad Chaudhry, one of Khan’s aides, have also been arrested. PTI said Fawad’s arrest was carried out despite him being granted protective bail by the Islamabad High Court until May 12.
“He was arrested despite possession of bail granted to him by the Islamabad High Court, which specifically banned his arrest until May 12,” Faisal Fareed Chaudhry, Fawad’s brother and a PTI lawyer, told Al Jazeera.
More than 145 police officers have been injured in clashes with protesters, police said in a statement.
Khan, a cricket hero turned politician, was ousted as Prime Minister in April 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence. He has not slowed down his campaign against his removal, even though he was injured in an attack on his convoy in November when he led a protest march to Islamabad calling for an early general election.
The corruption cases are two of more than 100 registered against Khan after he left office.
“Such scenes have never been seen by the people of Pakistan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “Even patients were taken out of ambulances and ambulances were set on fire.”
He called such attacks “inexcusable” and warned that those involved in violence would face exemplary punishment.
Sharif said Khan was arrested for his involvement in corruption and evidence was available to support these allegations.
‘Perfect storm in Pakistan right now’
Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the UN, has said that the situation in the country is extremely serious.
“It is a very serious situation. It is probably the most serious political and constitutional crisis that Pakistan has faced in many, many decades. It comes on the back of a serious economic crisis. What you have now is a perfect storm in Pakistan,” Lodhi told Al Jazeera from the capital, Islamabad.
“I think the government is struggling to maintain public order. Protesters are turning violent and it doesn’t look like the unrest is beginning to abate in any way.”
Imran Shafique, a lawyer and former prosecutor with Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said Khan could be held in custody for up to 14 days.
“The court has ordered an eight-day pre-trial detention for him [Khan]and it can be extended for another six days,” Shafique told Al Jazeera.
Shafique explained that former Prime Minister Khan can ask for bail once his pre-trial detention is over as he is already under arrest.
Shafique said there are few scenarios where Khan could be arrested. The first, under which he was taken away, did not appear in court despite warnings.
“The second scenario is that he is accused of tampering with evidence, which is not possible because all the evidence is with the NAB and the third scenario is that there is fear that Khan might flee the country,” he said.
“It therefore seems that his interrogation and arrest will not take too long.”
Additional reporting by Abid Hussain and Hafsa Adil.