Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to appear in an anti-graft court on Wednesday as police ramp up security across the country in a day of violent protests sparked by the arrest of an opposition leader.
Khan, who was detained Tuesday night, is due to attend a hearing at police headquarters in Islamabad, according to a police statement. Government investigators are expected to seek his remand in custody for 14 days, the legal maximum.
Authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces imposed emergency orders on public gatherings on Tuesday after unrest sparked by a nationwide protest called by Khan’s PTI party. According to the party, two people were killed and many others were injured as unrest spread, with a group in Lahore setting fire to the gate of a general’s home.
Internet services and digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube are blocked in parts of the country, officials from Pakistan’s main telecommunications regulator said. Police in Islamabad were ordered to carry guns on duty, while school and university exams were cancelled, local media reported.
Khan, a former cricket star and the country’s most popular politician, was prime minister from 2018 until he was ousted by parliament in a no-confidence vote last April.
His party is the favorite to win the election in October, but he faces a barrage of legal challenges that could disqualify him. They include charges of illegally selling gifts he received as prime minister and terrorism charges in connection with protests by his supporters.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters that he was arrested by anti-corruption forces on Tuesday in connection with land purchases by a charitable trust controlled by Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
Khan, 70, denies the allegations are politically motivated and insists his removal was the result of a Western-backed conspiracy. He has campaigned across the country to push for early polls, raising political tensions at a time when the country is mired in a deep recession.
Analysts said Prime Minister Sheikh Baz Sharif’s government, which is working to revive the IMF’s $7 billion bailout, declined to take early polls, fearing a public backlash.
Threats of his arrest sparked clashes between his supporters and police outside his Lahore residence in March, while he was shot in the leg at a political rally in Wazirabad, Punjab province, in November. He claimed it was an assassination attempt by senior officials.
He reiterated the claim at a rally over the weekend, a claim strenuously denied by the military.
Leading business figures have warned that the latest turmoil could delay talks with the IMF. The fund seeks more reforms before unwinding the next tranche of a $1.1 billion support package, which could pave the way for additional lending that would allow Pakistan to prevent a balance-of-payments crisis. The country’s foreign exchange reserves have dwindled to just one month’s worth of imports, leading to shortages of essential goods.
“In the current situation, how can anyone looking at Pakistan feel confident that they are lending money to a country that can run their affairs smoothly,” said a businessman, who asked not to be named. “The ongoing uncertainty must end .”