THE SQUIZ

Pakistan’s military has been called in to dispel the violent unrest that began after the country’s populist ex-leader Imran Khan was arrested while attending a court hearing on Tuesday. Police have arrested hundreds of Pakistanis taking part in the nationwide protests – which have included open attacks on key military buildings, school closures, and road blockages – while social media platforms have been restricted. Reports say at least 5 people have died. Khan’s arrest marks a dramatic escalation after months of tension between him and the military, which holds significant sway over the country’s political process. Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (which translates to “Movement for Justice” and is also known as the PTI) has been encouraging the protests, sharing messages on Twitter like “this is the time to save your country”.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

To wind it back a bit… Khan’s a former cricket hero who entered politics in 1996, but only began to gather momentum in the 2010s when his anti-corruption, anti-American message drew hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis to his rallies. Supported by the military, Khan won the prime ministership in 2018. Following years of double-digit inflation and a dispute with the military, Khan was ousted as Prime Minister in 2022 by a no-confidence vote in parliament. That’s when things really started to escalate – there were mass protests, and months later the PTI swept an important state election. Khan faced terrorism charges which were dropped before he was found guilty of “corrupt practices” and disqualified from holding office. During more protests in November last year, 70yo Khan was shot in the leg. That brings us to this week, with the arrest arriving as Khan was feuding with the military and facing further corruption charges, which he says are bogus. 

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Khan will be held for eight days of questioning by Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau, even as members of his PTI party say they won’t “succumb to dark forces” and plan to challenge his arrest in the nation’s Supreme Court – in defiance of the regional Islamabad High Court declaring the arrest legal. Overnight, Khan was also indicted in a separate case for illegally selling state gifts while he was Prime Minister. Pakistan, with some 230 million people, is the 5th biggest nation in the world, and in 75 years no prime minister has ever served out a full term. A Pakistani English-language newspaper yesterday wrote that “astute students of history may say that in the real Pakistan, the game may now be out of political hands”.