Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan is seen speaking during a rally in Lahore, Pakistan. (AP/March 26, 2023)
Khan’s arrest comes a day after the powerful army had accused the former prime minister of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI. TV footage showed the Rangers grabbing Khan from the collar and bundling him into a prison van.
Khan has been implicated in over one hundred cases since his ouster from power in April last year. He was removed as PM after losing a no-confidence vote, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
The police, in the month of March, had reached Khan residence in Lahore to arrest him. Although, later, the police said that Khan was “unavailable” for being arrested, the 70-year-old politician addressed his supporters and party workers. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief said he had never “bowed before any man or institution, and will never let you do so as well”.
On February 28, the former Prime Minister was supposed to be indicted in the Toshakhana case but his lawyers requested to exempt him from appearing as he had to go to several other courts. The judge, however, rejected the plea and issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Imran. The 70-year-old politician’s indictment was deferred twice before, Dawn reported.
What is the Toshakhana case? What did the ECP say about the case? Read our explainer here.