Pakistan’s political crisis has escalated further with the arrest of several top leaders of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Bloomberg reports.
The arrests come just a day after these leaders led a large rally demanding Khan’s release from jail, resulting in clashes with police.
Police have arrested Gohar Ali Khan, who is currently leading the PTI while Khan remains in jail, according to the party’s text messages and police spokesman Taqi Jawad. The party claims that 13 key leaders have been detained by the authorities.
Khan, a former cricket star, has been imprisoned for over a year, facing a series of charges including corruption, misuse of power, and instigating attacks on state properties. He maintains that these cases are politically motivated and were fabricated after he was removed from power in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of confidence backed by the military – an accusation the military denies.
Despite convictions in four different cases, all of which have either been overturned or had his jail sentence suspended by higher courts, Khan remains a popular figure in Pakistan. His loyalists won the most seats in the February national elections but failed to form a government, resulting in a coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“The political uncertainty will intensify,” said Zafar Hilaly, a Karachi-based political analyst and former diplomat, adding, “The lines have been crossed by both sides.”
The arrests have heightened tensions in the country, which is already grappling with a severe economic crisis. The delay in securing final approval from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $7 billion loan has fueled anxieties among financial experts and traders. The government had anticipated the IMF’s approval in August.
Sunday’s rally outside Islamabad saw supporters of Khan clashing with police who attempted to disperse the gathering. Local media reported injuries on both sides.
Ali Amin Gandapur, a PTI leader and the Chief Minister of northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, issued a warning to the coalition government, demanding Khan’s release within two weeks or face unspecified consequences.
