After his arrest on Tuesday, former prime minister Imran Khan pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption, causing further unrest in Pakistan.
According to police, the protests have resulted in the arrests of 1,400 people and the deaths of at least eight people across the country.
The army has been called in to stop the violence, and protesters have been told not to attack state property again.
Imran Khan capture has decisively raised strains among him and the military during a period of monetary emergency.
The former international cricketer, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022, would be permanently barred from running for office if convicted. This year’s elections are coming up soon.
For the majority of its history, Pakistan’s army has had a significant influence on the nuclear-armed nation and plays an important role behind the scenes.
Many analysts believe that the military assisted Imran Khan in winning the 2018 election. Yet, since he was expelled from prevalence, Mr Khan has become one of the military’s most vocal pundits.
In a case brought by Pakistan’s Election Commission, Imran Khan was indicted on Wednesday on charges that he illegally sold state gifts during his time as premier. Mr. Khan refuted any allegations.
A day sooner, emotional film showed many security officials effectively getting rid of the 70-year-old from court – where he was going to isolate unite procedures – then, at that point, packaging him into a police vehicle.
Imran Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called his capture in the capital Islamabad an “kidnapping” and said it would challenge its lawfulness in court.
Imran Khan will be held in custody for eight days, after which he can apply for bail, according to the judge’s order.
This is only one of north of 100 defilement arguments enlisted against Mr Khan since he left office. He had stayed out of trouble for months, and his supporters sometimes had to fight hard against the police to keep him out of jail.
Sher Afzal Marwat, one of Mr. Khan’s attorneys, stated that his client was in good spirits.
Mr. Khan’s supporters ransacked the corps commander’s residence in Lahore amid nationwide violent protests, smashing chandeliers and stealing peacocks, strawberries, and golf clubs, among other items, which they claimed were purchased with “citizen’s money.” Scores of vehicles and public establishments were set land.
The BBC witnessed confrontations between protesters and police on Wednesday in the middle of one of Islamabad’s main highways. According to the police, these confrontations have resulted in the injuries of more than 145 officers.
One man, who was carrying a stick and stones and was wearing a surgical mask, told the BBC, “We came to do a peaceful protest, but these police are shelling us.”
“Until our demise we will proceed with this dissent or until they free Imran. If not we will close the entire country.”
In the two days since Mr. Khan’s arrest, his supporters overseas have also organized protests.
In a broadcast address to the country, Pakistan’s Top state leader Shehbaz Sharif cautioned that fierce fights wouldn’t go on without serious consequences.
“The culprits who go rogue will be managed an iron hand,” he said.
PTI allies had burnt vehicles and flung petroleum bombs at Mr Sharif’s home in Lahore in the early long stretches of Wednesday, neighborhood media announced.
Tuesday was a “dark day” for Pakistan’s army, and it warned protesters of “severe retaliation” against further attacks on state and military properties.
Two senior PTI leaders, including its secretary-general Asad Umar, were among the protesters arrested.
In April of last year, less than four years into Mr. Khan’s tenure as prime minister, he was ousted by a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons.
He was shot in the leg in November 2022 while leading a protest march for early elections in the eastern city of Wazirabad.
Mr Khan had blamed a senior insight authorities for doing the assault – which the military has firmly denied.
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