Pakistan paramilitary arrests former PM Imran Khan in Islamabad
Islamabad #Islamabad
May 9 (UPI) — Paramilitary troops took former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan into custody on Tuesday as he entered the Islamabad High Court building for a hearing on charges against him.
Khan, who was removed from office in 2022 and had evaded arrests with the aid of his legion of supporters, was surrounded by paramilitary forces that had gathered at the court.
“The arrest has been conducted by the National Accountability Bureau for causing losses to the national treasury,” Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said, charging that Khan had failed to appear on other court dates. “No violence was done to him.”
Attorney Gohar Khan told Pakistani news outlet Dawn com that Imran Khan was “tortured” during the arrest.
“They hit Imran’s head and leg,” Gohar Khan said, accusing authorities of tossing away Imran Khan’s wheelchair.
Authorities said officials arrested Khan in the Qadir Trust case, which alleges that Bahria Town allotted land worth $6.46 million to Al-Qadir Trust, owned by Khan and his wife.
The arrest comes shortly after the country’s powerful military complained about Khan’s charge that Maj. Gen. Faisal Naseer was involved in the assassination attempt against him in Wazirabad.
The former cricket star survived an assassination attempt at a political rally last November and initially had his interim bail extended on medical grounds as a result of his injured leg.
Despite his popularity, Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April, alleging he was the victim of a U.S.-led conspiracy to unseat him.