Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Arrested on Fourth Attempt

In the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, on May 9, the country’s former prime minister (2018-2022) Imran Khan was arrested. The arrest warrant was issued by the anti-corruption body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), in a case of misappropriation of funds from the Al Qadeer Trust, the sale of gifts from foreign leaders for $ 127,700 and embezzlement of the proceeds. The former prime minister, removed from power in April 2022 by parliament, denies the allegations and points to their political nature. The arrest was preceded by accusations from Khan against the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (the country’s main intelligence agency) of organizing several assassination attempts against him.

Khan was taken into custody at the Supreme Court building in Islamabad, where he arrived to testify. A spokesman for the former prime minister, Rauf Hassan, said that the politician was detained before the start of the hearings, and “this is a violation of all laws.” Khan himself stated that he was “morally prepared for arrest, [к тому, что] I’ll have to go to jail.” His Justice Movement party called on its supporters to come out to protest. In Lahore and Peshawar, Khan’s supporters began blockading army units on May 9 in the evening.

The former prime minister was arrested on the fourth attempt. The Islamabad District Court issued a decision on his arrest on February 28. After that, the police tried to detain him at home three times, but faced fierce resistance from Khan’s supporters or did not find him at his home address.

Since the start of the political career of former cricket star Imran Khan in 2014, there has been growing opinion in Pakistan that he can weaken the influence of the Bhutto-Zardari and Sharif clans, from which most Pakistani prime ministers have come out in recent decades, says Gleb Makarevich, a researcher at the IMEMO RAS. At first, among the forces supporting him was the army, the main political institution of the country, the expert continues. In 2018, he became prime minister thanks to the support of the military. But in the end, his relationship with the generals soured because of disagreements on foreign policy issues, and then because of disputes over the appointment of a new head of the Inter-Services Intelligence. As a result, with the support of the army, a coalition was formed in parliament, which expressed a vote of no confidence in the prime minister in February 2022, immediately after his visit to Russia.

In response, Khan threatened his opponents with street protests and kept his promises – the protests have been massive in the last year, Makarevich notes. Khan’s party is supported by the majority of the population in the most populated province – Punjab, the fiefdom of the Sharif clan, not to mention the areas inhabited by the Pashtuns of the ex-premier’s half-blood. Khan’s party had a high chance of winning the election.

Khan’s arrest could lead to large-scale demonstrations and an escalation of violence, the expert believes. If Khan is not killed, he will be able to return to politics, even with a possible prison sentence. The main thing for Khan now and in the coming years is to survive. Khan may again be needed by the army, as he was able to become a popular politician who does not express the interests of traditional clans, Makarevich concluded.