Pakistan is preparing for another day of turmoil that erupted in several cities following the detention of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of corruption. Leaders of his party have declared a nationwide strike on Wednesday to denounce the fascist government.
On Tuesday, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordered the paramilitary Rangers to arrest the 70-year-old former cricket player-turned-politician who was attending a corruption case hearing at the Islamabad High Court. The Rangers entered the court and apprehended him in a clumsy manner. Although the court deemed the detention of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leader as lawful, they criticized the method used for his arrest as illegal. Consequently, the Islamabad police chief and interior secretary will face action as per the court’s ruling.
According to the Dawn newspaper, the PTI leadership denounced the detention of their party chairman, Khan, and proclaimed a nationwide strike on Wednesday. They urged the people of the country to protest against the “growing authoritarianism” and called it a critical moment that could make or break their cause.
As the news of Khan’s apprehension spread across the nation, demonstrations erupted, and his followers, armed with batons, targeted security installations, including the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters.
The enforcement of Section 144, which prohibited congregations in Punjab, Balochistan, and several locations in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, was ignored by the demonstrators. The cities of Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi, and Rawalpindi were the sites of some of the most severe incidents of violence and vandalism.
The PTI party stated that it had experienced two deaths and numerous injuries among its members following confrontations with law enforcement agencies overnight. According to Geo News, at least three individuals were killed, and several properties and vehicles were damaged during the clashes.
