On 9 May 2023, former Pakistani Prime Minister and politician Imran Khan was arrested from inside the High Court in Islamabad by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the charges of corruption in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust, which he owns alongside his wife, Bushra Bibi. Following Khan's arrest, his party called for demonstrations.
The arrest came a day after the military through its media wing ISPR had responded negatively to Khan's accusations of a high-ranking ISI official being implicated in an assassination attempt on his life the previous year. ISPR declared Khan's arrest to be legal; however, the following day, the Supreme Court of Pakistan deemed the arrest unlawful and mandated Khan's immediate release.
The next day on 12 May, Islamabad High Court granted two weeks bail to Khan. Shortly upon his release, Khan directly accused the army chief Asim Munir of playing a role in his arrest.
Background
In 2018, Imran Khan became the prime minister of Pakistan, but later had a falling-out with the country's army. Following a series of defections, he lost his parliamentary majority. Subsequently, Khan was ousted through a vote of no confidence, and he accused the then Chief of Army Staff, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, of orchestrating the move. Khan developed a sense of resentment towards the army's influence, alleging that they engaged in blackmail against his government. Numerous lawsuits and criminal cases have been filed against him ever since he was removed from office in April 2022. Khan asserts that he is confronted with over 150 legal cases. Khan maintains that the accusations against him are politically driven and denies any misconduct.
Khan has advocated for early elections and has been a vociferous critic of the nation's leadership, institutions and army. However, in October 2022, he was disqualified from holding public office due to allegations of incorrectly declaring details of presents from foreign dignitaries and the sale of the proceeds. The following month, he survived a gun attack on his convoy while leading a protest march. Following the attack, Khan made the accusation that Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, an ISI officer, played a key role in both devising and overseeing the plan for his assassination.
On 7 May 2023, during a rally Khan repeated accusations that he had made earlier against a senior intelligence officer of ISI, Maj Gen. Faisal Naseer, of orchestrating plans to murder him. During the rally, Khan also claimed the same officer was also responsible for the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif.
The next day, ISPR said “irresponsible and baseless allegations by Khan against a serving senior military officer without evidence were “extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable”.
Arrest
On 9 May 2023, Khan, before departing for Islamabad to attend the hearings of his bail application at the Islamabad High Court, reiterated his claim that a senior ISI officer was involved in a plot to assassinate him and emphatically stated, "This is my army and my Pakistan. I don’t need to lie." reaffirming the seriousness of his accusation.
During Khan's court appearance in Islamabad High Court, while he was in the process of submitting his biometric data, paramilitary forces of Pakistan Rangers forcibly entered by breaking a window to apprehend him. Video footage depicted numerous security officers of Pakistan Rangers grabbed Khan out of the courtroom and subsequently placing him inside a black Toyota Hilux Vigo.
After being granted bail, Khan said that he had experienced physical mistreatment, including being subjected to physical force and struck with a baton on his head during his arrest. Talking to media, he further said “I am sitting in the Islamabad High Court. They had no justification to arrest me. I was abducted. This happens only where there is a law of the jungle and where the Army abducts [people]. Where is the law? Where are the police? It seems that martial law has been declared [in the country].”
Aftermath
The same day as the arrest, protests broke out across the country, including in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, resulting in eight fatalities. Protests witnessed the participation of families of currently serving army officers as well.
Protesters in Islamabad blocked one of the main highways in and out of the capital. People also lit fires, dismantled street signs and threw stones. No police or officials were in the area during the hour-long blockade. Protesters in Peshawar also set fire to the Radio Pakistan premises. In London, supporters of Imran Khan demonstrated outside the High Commission of Pakistan following his arrest.