Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) Pakistan’s political unrest deepened on Wednesday as supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan vented their anger after he was dramatically arrested by paramilitary forces. This was a massive escalation of a years-long political stalemate that has embarrassed the South Asian country.
Khan’s arrest Tuesday on multiple corruption charges hastened an already tense showdown between the country’s powerful military and his supporters, who took to the streets and sparked unprecedented scenes as angry crowds broke into and vandalized the homes of army personnel.
Clashes erupted Wednesday, with hundreds of Khan supporters storming the Peshawar headquarters of national broadcaster Radio Pakistan, according to a local CNN journalist.
Photos from the streets of Peshawar showed security forces firing tear gas at crowds, some using slingshots.
Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters clash with police during a protest against the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Peshawar on May 10, 2023.
According to police, nearly 1,000 Khan supporters have been arrested in Punjab province after 25 police vehicles and more than 14 government buildings were set on fire, Portal reported.
Authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces have also issued an emergency order banning all gatherings, Portal added.
Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s Minister for Planning and Development, told reporters on Wednesday that Khan had “chosen the path of spreading anarchy, chaos and destruction” to “shield himself from responsibility”.
“I want to make sure there is no political vendetta,” he added.
Khan’s supporters and riot police also rallied Wednesday outside Islamabad police headquarters where an impromptu court hearing was scheduled to take place before judges, surrounded by a ring of security forces.
The hearing was held at the police station rather than in court to “keep him out of the public eye,” police said. Khan’s lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, told CNN on Wednesday that he has had “no contact” with his client.
Motorists drive past burned vehicles in front of Zaman Park in Lahore on May 10, 2023.
A lawyer for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog – told CNN they would seek a fortnight’s pre-trial detention for Khan.
Video ahead of Khan’s arrest on Tuesday showed paramilitary forces smashing a window to get at the politician as he watched impassively as the chaos unfolded. Khan was then ushered into a vehicle surrounded by dozens of security officers and taken away.
In a pre-recorded statement released to YouTube by Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after his arrest, the former prime minister said he had been “imprisoned on false charges” and told his supporters: “The time is for.” everything has come.” that you come and fight for your rights.
“I have always obeyed the law. I am being arrested so that I cannot pursue my political path for the fundamental rights of this country and obey this corrupt government of crooks that has been foisted on us,” he said in the video.
Violent protests erupted in several cities in the afternoon.
Imran Khan’s supporters burn tires to block roads in Peshawar, Pakistan, May 9, 2023.
Khan supporters armed with sticks broke into the military headquarters in the town of Rawalpindi, just outside the capital, chanting cries of support for the former leader.
Demonstrators also blocked one of the main roads into Islamabad, throwing stones and destroying street signs. A police vehicle was set on fire, prompting police to use tear gas.
Meanwhile, a Khan supporter was shot dead by police during a protest in the southwestern city of Quetta, according to a local CNN journalist.
Shortly thereafter, authorities blocked mobile internet services to contain the chaos and cut access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in the country of 270 million people. According to the Private Schools Association, private schools across the country were closed on Wednesday.
At least 43 protesters were arrested in Islamabad on Tuesday, the city’s police said on Twitter.
Syed Baqir Sajjad, a Pakistan Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, said that although previous Pakistani leaders have been arrested and politicians have questioned the military’s dominance in the past, Khan’s substantial public support has made this situation “unique.”
“The risks Pakistan faces in this situation are numerous,” he said. “The image of the military as the unifying force and guardian of the state has been seriously challenged, leading to a loss of public confidence in the institution. This in turn could lead to instability and social unrest.”
Protesters burn tires to block roads in Peshawar, Pakistan, May 9, 2023, following the dramatic arrest of Imran Khan.
Pakistan in crisis
Khan was overthrown in a no-confidence vote in parliament last year and has since waged a popular campaign against the current government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accusing it of colluding with the military to remove him from office.
The former star cricketer-turned-populist politician has denied the allegations against him, instead accusing Sharif and the military of playing a political game. The military and Sharif – who was in the UK recently after attending the coronation of the British monarch – deny Khan’s allegations.
A protester is seen as Pakistani police use tear gas against supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan during a protest in Peshawar, Pakistan May 9, 2023.
Tensions have pushed Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country of about 220 million people that has struggled with political instability for decades, into uncharted territory and often erupting in violence.
Last November, Khan survived a shooting at a political rally that his party described as an assassination.
And in March chaos broke out outside Khan’s home in Lahore after hundreds of his supporters challenged arriving police and paramilitary forces to escort him away. After the protests turned violent, officers were forced to call off the operation in one of several unsuccessful police attempts to arrest Khan.
Khan’s claims have resonated well with a young populace in a country where anti-establishment sentiments are rife, and are fueled by a mounting cost-of-living crisis as rising inflation makes common goods increasingly unaffordable.
“This has increased the pressure on the military establishment, which is feeling the heat more this time,” said analyst Sajjad. “The intensity and consistency of Imran Khan’s attacks on the military, particularly following his impeachment last year, are unprecedented.”
Amid the crisis, the government has so far failed to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to resume a $6.5 billion lending program that has stalled since November to keep the economy afloat.
The political upheaval appears to have boosted Khan’s popularity. Last year, his PTI party won local elections in the country’s most populous province of Punjab, in what was seen as a litmus test for national elections.
Political polarization and the economic crisis have brought Pakistan to a “crisp point” and the situation has “the potential to become a permanent crisis,” Sajjad said.
Pakistan’s future development will “largely depend on how its leaders deal with the ongoing crises and whether they can find a way to address people’s grievances and restore stability,” he added.