Imran echoes previous protest calls.
7,000 PTI workers and leaders have been arrested, and the role of security forces has been condemned.
Former prime minister and current chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan lashed out at the federal government on Monday, calling for peaceful rallies against a ‘threat’ to the Supreme Court and the Constitution of Pakistan.
He took to Twitter earlier today to declare, “All citizens be ready for peaceful protests as once again Constitution and SC destroyed, it is the end of the Pak dream [sic].”
After his detention last week and the accompanying unrest, the former prime minister spoke out against the arrests of PTI workers and protestors.
“So without any investigation into who was responsible for arson on government building or dozens of deaths of unarmed protesters by bullet wounds, around 7,000 PTI workers, leadership, and our women have been jailed with plans to ban the largest and only federal party in Pak [sic],” stated Imran.
Further, the former prime minister has accused the country’s security forces of working with the federal administration to subvert the Constitution. At today’s protest by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) outside the Supreme Court (SC), the former prime minister said, “Meanwhile these goons are being facilitated by our security agencies to take over the SC and subvert the constitution [sic].” He then uploaded videos showing protesters climbing over a gate and entering the Red Zone.
On May 9, 2023, paramilitary Rangers carried out a swift raid on behalf of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), storming the Islamabad High Court (IHC) where Imran had appeared in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case to face graft proceedings against him.
In PTI’s words, the “abduction” occurred before the court case had started. While maintaining that the arrest itself was legal, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq questioned the manner of arrest and issued contempt summons to the interior secretary and the Islamabad inspector-general of police (IGP).
Imran and his legal team had already skipped sessions in a separate graft case, but the next day the IHC granted NAB eight days of physical detention of the PTI chairperson and indicted him.
However, the Supreme Court ruled that Imran’s arrest was unlawful and ordered that he be released on May 11.
In response to significant protests in major cities following Imran’s detention, the authorities cut off mobile internet and restricted public access to information. The involvement of the country’s paramilitary forces and the apparent disregard for due process in dealing with an accused person also attracted international attention, with media outlets around the world pointing to rising tensions between the deposed prime minister and the current civil-military establishment. The political instability and disruption of internet connection only made matters worse for Pakistan’s already struggling economy after the arrest.
Massive street demonstrations in response to Imran’s arrests attest to his continued popularity. As an act of vengeance, many of them stormed into strategic military installations and civilian neighborhoods. Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, and Yasmin Rashid, all high-profile members of the PTI, were arrested in the preceding week. Some of the PTI’s top officials are still in custody.
Tensions remain high between the PML-N-led federal government, its supporters unified under the PDM flag, and the PTI, and the political upheaval has yet to abate. Since Imran’s release, hundreds more PTI employees and sympathizers have been arrested.
