Protests continue to rage in Pakistan; Army warns strict action against agitators
PTI supporters are determined to continue protests, govt is not willing to back down
PTI supporters are determined to continue protests, govt is not willing to back down
PTI supporters are determined to continue protests, govt is not willing to back down
PTI supporters are determined to continue protests, govt is not willing to back down
Pakistan continues to remain on edge. The arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday sparked violent protests, with his supporters coming onto the streets in a mood to fight till the end. In less than 24 hours since his arrest, over 1,000 PTI supporters have been arrested, the radio station in Peshawar set on fire and the army deployed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The stage is set for further confrontation. The PTI supporters are determined to continue protests and the government is not willing to back down. The signal from the army too is clear—they are losing patience.
“What the enemy could not do in 75 years was done by a politically cloaked group in its lust for power,” the public relations department of the Pakistan Army, ISPR, said in a statement. “The facilitators, planners, and political belligerents are involved in these operations and they have been identified,” it added.
A crackdown on the party leadership is imminent, according to the rumours swirling around in Lahore. The secretary general of the PTI, Asad Umar, was arrested from the High Court premise in Islamabad on Wednesday evening as he went to file a petition to meet Khan.
According to GEO news, there was an attempt to arrest Shah Mehmood Qureshi too, but he managed to get away. “According to eyewitnesses, the PTI lawyers fought with the police to prevent Umar's arrest, but the law enforcers overpowered them and took the PTI leader away,’’ reported the channel.
Umar’s arrest—in such a dramatic fashion—suggests that there is more to come. There were reports of Qureshi being arrested, but there is no confirmation at the moment. “We are in the Supreme Court building to challenge the arrest of Imran Khan. I have got my own order from Islamabad High Court that declared police cannot arrest without informing the court. Despite clear orders of protective bail, the police is all set to flout orders and arrest me. They are outside the SC building and waiting for me to come out," Fawad Chourdhury has been quoted saying to the media.
With the top leadership now under the scanner—there are audio leaks with alleged evidence being circulated that suggests that the leadership of the PTI was in the loop as PTI supporters went on a rampage across the country—there is more trouble for the party in the offing. What makes it worse is that Khan is now very much stuck in a legal tangle. The National Accountability Bureau sent Khan to custody for eight days. He has been chargesheeted in another corruption case, and it remains to be seen how the political party keeps the protest alive without any leadership. For now, Pakistan remains on edge.
The stage is set for further confrontation. The PTI supporters are determined to continue protests and the government is not willing to back down. The signal from the army too is clear—they are losing patience.
“What the enemy could not do in 75 years was done by a politically cloaked group in its lust for power,” the public relations department of the Pakistan Army, ISPR, said in a statement. “The facilitators, planners, and political belligerents are involved in these operations and they have been identified,” it added.
A crackdown on the party leadership is imminent, according to the rumours swirling around in Lahore. The secretary general of the PTI, Asad Umar, was arrested from the High Court premise in Islamabad on Wednesday evening as he went to file a petition to meet Khan.
According to GEO news, there was an attempt to arrest Shah Mehmood Qureshi too, but he managed to get away. “According to eyewitnesses, the PTI lawyers fought with the police to prevent Umar's arrest, but the law enforcers overpowered them and took the PTI leader away,’’ reported the channel.
Umar’s arrest—in such a dramatic fashion—suggests that there is more to come. There were reports of Qureshi being arrested, but there is no confirmation at the moment. “We are in the Supreme Court building to challenge the arrest of Imran Khan. I have got my own order from Islamabad High Court that declared police cannot arrest without informing the court. Despite clear orders of protective bail, the police is all set to flout orders and arrest me. They are outside the SC building and waiting for me to come out," Fawad Chourdhury has been quoted saying to the media.
With the top leadership now under the scanner—there are audio leaks with alleged evidence being circulated that suggests that the leadership of the PTI was in the loop as PTI supporters went on a rampage across the country—there is more trouble for the party in the offing. What makes it worse is that Khan is now very much stuck in a legal tangle. The National Accountability Bureau sent Khan to custody for eight days. He has been chargesheeted in another corruption case, and it remains to be seen how the political party keeps the protest alive without any leadership. For now, Pakistan remains on edge.