Imran Khan Arrest: 8-Day Custody! ‘Not allowed to use toilet,’ Claims Pak ex-PM
Imran Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistan, has been detained for eight days by the nation’s leading anti-corruption agency. The National Accountability (NAB) has requested a 10-day custody period for questioning in corruption cases from a court in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, where Mr. Khan appeared today.
Mr. Khan was detained Monday in Islamabad at an ordinary hearing. He was brought overnight to an undisclosed location and then made an appearance in a specially called court at the police headquarters behind closed doors.
During his court appearance, Pakistan ex-Prime Minister claimed that he had been subjected to torture while in custody and had been denied access to restroom facilities. The former cricketing icon, who is still well-liked in Pakistan, claimed he received an injection intended to cause a gradual heart attack. The case will next be heard by the Islamabad court on May 17.
“ساری رات عمران خان کو جگائے رکھا گیا، پولیس نے عمران خان کو گندا کمرہ دیا جس میں چارپائی تک نہیں تھی۔ عمران خان کا عوام کو پیغام ہے مارشل لاء لگے یا عاصم لاء لگے آپ نے رول آف لا کے لئے کھڑا ہونا ہے”۔ عمران خان سے ملاقات کرنے واکے وکیل شیر افضل مروت کی گفتگو…
— Dr. Iftikhar Durrani (@IftikharDurani) May 10, 2023
The supporters of Mr. Khan have started large-scale protests all around Pakistan. Property damage caused by the protesters has been widespread. Mr. Khan claims that the numerous legal disputes are a result of a campaign by the military and government establishment to keep him from regaining power.
The drama follows months of political crisis during which Mr. Khan, who was ousted in April last year, has waged an unprecedented campaign against Pakistan’s military. Additionally, Mr. Khan was detained just hours after the military censured him for saying a senior officer was complicit in a murder plot against him.
Since Pakistan’s inception in 1947, politicians have regularly been detained and imprisoned, but few have so openly defied an occupying military that has conducted at least three coups and ruled for more than three decades.
The access to social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube has been banned by Pakistan’s interior ministry, which has ordered the termination of mobile internet services. Schools across the nation have been instructed to close, and pupils will not be taking their final examinations.