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Unrest continues in Pakistan over the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, who pleaded not guilty to corruption charges.
Clashes spread across multiple major cities, with Khan’s supporters breaking into military properties and setting the homes of army personnel ablaze.
In Lahore, the supporters of the former cricket star stormed the house of the local corps commander’s, smashing some of the furniture and making away with some. Scores of vehicles and public installations were set alight.
Khan was arrested on May 9 in the capital Islamabad after being accused of illegally acquiring land to construct a university as well as of unlawfully selling gifts sent to him by foreign leaders while in office. He, however, denied any wrongdoing.
In a pre-recorded statement released on YouTube by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party after his arrest, the former prime minister said he was “detained on incorrect charges” and told his supporters “the time has come for all of you to come and struggle for your rights.”
The Pakistani army has accused Khan and his supporters of crossing a red line, saying that military property and installations have been “systematically attacked” and that “anti-army slogans were raised.”
“Any further attack on the army, including all law enforcement agencies, military and state installations and properties, will be severely retaliated against,” the military said in a May 10 statement, its first since Khan’s arrest. “The full responsibility of which will be on the very group that wants to push Pakistan into civil war.”
From his side, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called Khan’s supporters “terrorists” and has told them to “behave or face punishment.”
As of May 11, at least eight people have died nationwide in the protests and 1,400 have been arrested, the Pakistan Police said.
Private schools were ordered shut nationwide. The government also blocked mobile internet services, disrupting access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Popular apps and digital payment systems have also been shut down.
Authorities in three of the country’s four provinces have imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings, Reuters reported. In addition, certain countries, including the United States, issued travel advisories.
Khan was removed from the post of Prime Minister in April 2022 as a result of a vote of no confidence passed by parliament. Last November, the 70-year-old survived a shooting at a political rally, in what his party called an assassination attempt.
Unrest will likely continue in Pakistan in the upcoming few days as the judge overseeing Khan’s case has ordered that he be remanded in custody for eight days. Before that, the former prime minister can’t seek bail. Any attempt to further delay his release could lead to more violence.
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S Balu should be mad, Pakistan on the brink of civil war, balkanization and finally annexation by India.
Similar maybe coming in Serbia soon. The only difference, people are sick of government and its violent behaviour towards citizens and children. Since you meantioned Balkan, so I meantion it. What ever happens in USA, same happens in Serbia … all thanks to NATO. Governments since NATO bombed us, trying to break will and power of people and to divide us, in what they very advanced.
We don’t have strong leader to keep people protesting. I did learn that when you protest you don’t leave if demands not met, since this is not case in Serbia it broke will and trust in organizers of the protests over decades. In Serbia protests last few hours, not day by day, sometime but rare case day by day, never 24/7 … and this makes people to stop coming to protest.
If we have leader as Imran Khan is and his followers, serbian government would be in prison.
Time the Serbs took to the streets to force the quislings out, a good start would be to burn the CIA infested Embassy to the ground.
This is provocation though. The good thing to be done and the most successful thing at the same time is to assassinate corrupt politicians and corrupt banksters. Not provocations like burnings and stuff like that.
I want Nuremberg trials 2.0. .
I don’t believe that Serbia will be in civil war. There will be changes and that’s all. The mistakes of the past cannot be repeated.
It all depends on serbs. At moment protests “Serbia against violence”. People think Vucic gave Kosovo and he is playing on us, he keeps repeating not true but he keeps negotiating with EU and Albania for Kosovo, by serbian Constitution Kosovo and Metohia is serbian teritory and negotiating serbian land Kosovo is forbidden. Vucic removed law on treason.
War on kosovo yes but not civil war
Somebody instructed young man and school boy to commit violent crimes in Serbia, to keep people forgetting about Kosovo.
Government of Serbia can’t give Kosovo away if people say “No” and Russia and China protect Kosovo at UN voting. So serbian government has this two obstacles.
Most countries are against Kosovo though
Bogus charges. No confidence Vote. Which one? He was removed illegally by Supreme Court’s pro Coup illegal interference in Parliament’s affairs (Parliament’s rulings are protected by the constitution) in April 2022. He was also beaten up at the time of arrest.
Charge: For acquiring land to build a public educational institution for the people (not for profit). Education must be a heinous crime. Uneducated means easier to control.
Pakistan is run by Gangsters supported by the US, people should rise up in their millions they can’t arrest or kill everyone.
Pakis act like Arabs though, Turks and Iranians are more clever. That’s why they are like that.
They are about to create another martyr at the behest of the United Snakes of America.
It is disgraceful that Pakistan and their army and judiciairy allowed the US to coup their nation and oust Imran Khan.