Yesterday Pakistan Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested and just after his arrest various violent protests erupted from his supporters. These protests have gone so wild that the people living are afraid of a civil war in the country. After the arrest of Khan, party supporters went to the Corps Commander of Pakistan’s Army house, blocked the roads, and put various vehicles on fire. Let us discuss the situation of Pakistan in this article and we shall also discuss the points that be conjectured why Pakistan is moving towards a Civil war.
The events occurred after the protest started Army opened fire on the protesters, and in the firing various people died. Ihtisham Ul Haq, a journalist, said that 18 people have been shifted to Batkhela Hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but it was not yet confirmed how many people were dead.Â
When and Where was he Arrested?
Imran Khan was actually facing Charges in a Corruption case and a money laundering case. Khan was to appear in the federal court for these charges. He was in court to seek bail on multiple FIRs against him. As soon as Khan reached the court, he was surrounded by dozens of secure rangers who were wearing riot-control gear. They suddenly hold him and took him to a black van by his arm and then taken to an unknown location. It is said that the Rangers made the arrest following a National Accountability Bureau’s Warrant referring to the Al-Qadir Trust Case.
After the Arrest Khan was taken to an unknown location and various spokespersons from Khan’s party are referring to abduction and above law. Previous attempts to arrest Khan from his Lahore residence had resulted in clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel. Attempts were also made to arrest Khan when he had to appear before the court but due to supporters from his party, it failed. We should keep in mind that Khan’s arrest was made by Rangers which is a paramilitary force and is not directly controlled by Pakistan’s government. All of this comes when Imran Khan rebuked the top military officers a day before the arrest was made.
Protest After the Arrest
Following the Protest, various protests took place in the country. Many people started outing fire on the vehicles and many protesters broke into the house of top military commanders. One of them was the corps commander of the Pakistan Army. Reportedly The Governor’s house in Lahore was also burned. His detention occurred at a time when Pakistanis are experiencing the greatest economic crisis in decades, with record-high prices and anemic growth. An IMF bailout package has been delayed for months, despite the fact that foreign exchange reserves are barely adequate to fund a month’s imports.
Much of what is happening was pre-planned, with Imran Khan’s followers persuaded that the army wants their leader out of the contest for the top job and that it was this institution that brought Sharif back to power in Islamabad. Imran Khan has claimed that the army was behind two assassination attempts on his life. But this isn’t only a battle between the army and Imran Khan. According to sources, the army is divided over Imran Khan’s current power struggle.
Asim Munir, Pakistan’s current army chief, is reported to have strained relations with Imran Khan. He was chosen by former army head Qamar Javed Bajwa, who is suspected of being behind Imran Khan’s demise. Bajwa fired then-ISI chief Faiz Hameed, an Imran Khan blue-eyed son. According to sources, recent events have divided the army into two factions, one supporting Munir and the other supporting Hameed. The army is in a bind because it has supported a coalition that has lost public favor. Imran Khan, on the other hand, has huge public support, and almost all observers believe that if elections were held now, he would return to power – something that the Asim Munir faction does not want.
Imran Khan’s fans are energized and protesting at key locations such as army headquarters, high commission offices, and police stations. Experts fear that if this trend continues, law and order will crumble and a civil war would erupt in the country, which has a history of military coups.
Why was he Actually Arrested?
Pakistan’s Ex-Prime Minister and his aides were being investigated for taking 5 Billion Pakistani Rupees and numerous lands from a real estate company which is based in Islamabad Bahria Town and in return Khan will be shielding the company from a money laundering case. This money and land were channeled to various accused individuals through a non-profit organization named as Al-Qadir Trust. This trust had only two trustee Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. This agreement and laundering lead to a total loss of 68 Billion PKR or 19 Billion INR to the national treasury of Pakistan at the time of Khan’s ministership. Out of the total 458 kanals of land received as a donation, Khan allegedly transferred 240 kanals of the donated land to Farah Gogi, a close friend of Bushra Bibi.
According to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the worth of the land was purposefully understated. Former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail stated that Imran Khan provided real estate mogul Malik Riaz around 68 billion PKR (19 billion INR), which he later had to forfeit to British authorities during an investigation into potential proceeds of crime. Malik Riaz also gave large tracts of property to a trust that included Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and Farah Gogi.
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