Police have detained former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore, the country’s second largest city, after a court sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts. The arrest, according to legal experts consulted by Reuters, could prevent Khan from running in the next elections scheduled for November. Khan is the biggest rival of the current prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif.
The agents, according to his lawyer, arrested him at his own residence. The lawyer also assured that he will file an appeal before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Lahore police chief confirmed the arrest and assured that the former prime minister was being transferred from that city to Islamabad, the country’s capital. According to a court order, the leader will be jailed in Adyala Central Prison in Punjab province. Khan’s party, Tereek-i-Insaf, said in a statement that it had also filed an appeal.
The arrest comes a day after the Pakistani Supreme Court suspended proceedings against Khan in a district court. Despite the court order, the case against Khan went ahead. Pakistan’s Information Minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, said in a televised statement that Khan’s arrest followed a rigorous investigation and legal procedures. He also denied that the arrest had anything to do with the November elections.
However, the case that has ended with the conviction began with an investigation by the electoral commission, which found him guilty of illegally selling state gifts during his term as prime minister, between 2018 and 2022, for a value close to 600,000 euro. Throughout the process, Khan has denied the charges against him.
Khan has been accused in a chain of prosecutions since he stepped down as prime minister as a result of a vote of no confidence. The former Pakistani leader has blamed the army and its current top officer, General Asim Munir, for trying to prevent him from running for election again and thus preventing him from retaking power, a version that the military rejects.
Before his arrest, Khan left a recorded message on social media for his followers. “I only have one judicial remedy left, do not stay sitting at home,” he said in that message. “You have to protest peacefully until your rights are respected.”
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His Tareek-i-Insaf party, the largest political force in the country, has already called for peaceful mobilizations across the country for this Saturday to protest against Khan’s conviction and subsequent detention. The secretary general of the formation, Umar Ayub, called on all Pakistanis to “peaceful protest” on the X social network, formerly known as Twitter.
Following Khan’s previous arrest on May 9, the country was engulfed in a wave of violence between protesters and security forces, resulting in eight deaths, hundreds injured and more than 7,000 detainees, including several opposition leaders. Two days after his arrest, the Pakistani Supreme Court declared him illegal and ordered his release.
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