.jpg)
Pakistan’s government called out the military on Thursday in areas roiled by deadly violence following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was dragged from a courtroom and ordered held for another eight days on new corruption charges that outraged his supporters and deepened the country’s political turmoil, reports AP, Dawn and AFP.
In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the unrest by Khan’s supporters “damaged sensitive public and private property,” forcing him to deploy the military in the capital of Islamabad, the most populous province of Punjab and in volatile regions of the northwest.
Meanwhile, at least eight people were killed, as many as 290 were injured, and over 1,900 enraged protesters were rounded up in running battles with law enforcers across Pakistan on Wednesday, as an accountability court in Islamabad handed over the custody of their leader Imran Khan to NAB for eight days in connection with the Al Qadir Trust case.
The violent protests provoked by the PTI chairman’s arrest entered the second day on Wednesday, as police and PTI supporters engaged in bloody clashes throughout the day that resulted in damage to several government installations, including police stations.
Late in night, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry was arrested hours after central Secretary General Asad Umar taken into custody.
In a bid to control the worsening situation, the government called in the military in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad.
The deployment came a day after protesters stormed the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and tore down a gate of GHQ in Rawalpindi.
The attacks on army property prompted a harsh statement from its media wing, with its spokesperson calling out the ‘hypocrisy’ of a political group that used the public for its “limited and selfish” interests.
Nevertheless, a police office in Islamabad, a police station in Lahore, Radio Pakistan’s building in Peshawar, and Scouts Fort in Chakkdara, Lower Dir, were set on fire by the mob.
Imran Khan has been arrested during a court appearance in capital Islamabad.
After being removed from his position as Prime Minister through a no-confidence vote in April of the previous year, Imran Khan has been linked to more than one hundred incidents.
He believes that the US-led conspiracy was aimed at him because of his independent foreign policy decisions regarding Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
