Pakistani police arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan after court docket conviction

His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf celebration, or PTI, condemned the ruling and stated it’s going to problem the choice in a superior court docket.

Whereas a superior court docket can droop the conviction, it is the nation’s election physique that may in the end disqualify Khan from politics.

Efforts to place Khan behind bars have been stepped up forward of elections anticipated later this yr.

His reputation and huge assist base, mixed together with his potential to mobilise large crowds, pose a menace to the ruling coalition and will doubtlessly polarise the citizens.

Khan served as prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2022 and is well-known to Australian cricket followers because the champion all-rounder who captained his nation to victory within the first One Day Cricket World Cup ever held in Australia, in 1992.

The Islamabad court docket issued the arrest warrant after convicting Khan. Police moved rapidly to take the politician from his dwelling within the jap metropolis of Lahore to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, senior police officer Ali Nasir Rizvi stated.

Native info minister, Amir Mir, stated Khan was being taken to Lahore airport to be transported to the capital.

It is the second time Khan has has been detained this yr.

Since his ouster from energy in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022, Khan has been slapped with greater than 150 authorized circumstances, together with a number of on expenses of corruption, terrorism and inciting individuals to violence over lethal protests in Might that noticed his followers assault authorities and army property throughout the nation.

The cricket star-turned-politician stays the main opposition determine regardless of his ouster.

A PTI spokesman, Rauf Hasan, described the asset concealment trial because the “worst in historical past and tantamount to the homicide of justice.”

Data Minister Maryam Aurangzeb denied Khan’s arrest had something to do with upcoming elections. She stated Khan had been given each alternative to defend himself in opposition to the asset concealment expenses.

“As an alternative Imran Khan used the time to delay the court docket proceedings and went backwards and forwards to the excessive court docket and supreme court docket to halt this case,” she stated.

Aurangzeb added that Khan has been “confirmed responsible of unlawful practices, corruption, concealing property and wrongly declaring wealth in tax returns.”

In Lahore, a gaggle of pro-Khan legal professionals reached his Zaman Park dwelling and chanted slogans protesting his conviction and arrest. In the identical metropolis, supporters of a rival political celebration handed out sweets to have a good time the detention.

His former political secretary Aun Chaudhry stated Saturday’s occasions will help political stability, whereas International Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari described the day’s developments as comeuppance for Khan.

However a former PTI authorities minister, Ali Mohammad Khan, stated the opposition chief had been denied justice. “Khan’s conviction can be quashed and he can be launched quickly,” he stated.

Khan’s celebration launched a video message displaying him at his Lahore dwelling behind a desk and with the Pakistani and PTI flags within the background. It wasn’t instantly clear when the recording was made.

He instructed his supporters he can be in jail by the point the message reached them and that they need to not keep quietly of their houses.

“I’m not doing this for my freedom,” he stated.

“I’m doing it for my nation, you, your kids’s future. In case you do not get up on your rights, you’ll stay the lifetime of slaves and slaves would not have a life.”

He urged individuals to peacefully protest till they get their rights, particularly a authorities of their selection via voting and “not the one like at this time’s occupying energy.”

Pakistan has seen its share of former prime ministers arrested over time and interventions by its highly effective army.

Khan is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was arrested and hanged in 1979.

The present prime minister’s brother, Nawaz Sharif, who additionally served as prime minister, was arrested a number of occasions on corruption allegations.