Imran Khan arrest: Section 144 imposed in Islamabad as PTI workers stage protests

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Pakistan police on Tuesday imposed prohibitory orders in Islamabad after several workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party staged protests across the city and created a riot-like situation following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan by paramilitary Rangers.

The Islamabad police said that there was no incident of violence in the country’s capital. Former prime minister Khan was arrested by paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday while he was present at the Islamabad High Court for the hearing of a corruption case, a day after he took on the country’s powerful army for allegedly hatching a plot to kill him.

The arrest comes a day after the powerful army had accused Khan of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI.

The chairman of the PTI, who travelled from Lahore to the federal capital Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric process at the court when the Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating lawyers and Khan’s security staff, according to senior party leader Shireen Mazari.

Following Imran Khan’s arrest, Section 144 has been imposed in Islamabad as several PTI workers staged protests across the city and created a riots-like situation, media reports said. They also blocked roads in Lahore and staged protests, the reports said.

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Islamabad police released a statement quoting Inspector General (IG) Akbar Nasir Khan as saying that Khan was arrested in relation to the case which alleges that the PTI chief and his wife obtained billions of rupees from a real estate firm for legalising Rs 50 billion. The police chief also said that the situation in Islamabad was “normal”, adding that Section 144 had been imposed in the city and action would be taken against violators.

“Situation is normal. Section 144 is in place and violations will result in police action,” said IG Islamabad. PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that the IHC has been “occupied by the Rangers” and lawyers “are being subjected to torture”. “Imran Khan’s car has been surrounded,” he added.

The police, however, rejected the PTI’s allegations that people were tortured. Khan, 70, has been facing a slew of cases since his ouster through a no-trust vote in April last year. He has rejected all these cases as political victimisation by the ruling alliance. Khan is facing over 140 cases related to terrorism, blasphemy, murder, violence, and inciting violence.