ISLAMABAD—Pakistan's government called in the military Wednesday in areas rife with deadly violence in the aftermath of the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was dragged from a courtroom and ordered held for another eight days on new corruption charges, infuriating his supporters and deepening the country's political turmoil.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif stated in a speech to the nation that Khan's followers' turmoil "damaged sensitive public and private property," causing him to deploy the military in Islamabad, Punjab's most populous province, and dangerous northwest areas.
Following Khan's arrest on Tuesday, protesters in Islamabad and other major cities blocked highways, battled with police, and set fire to police checkpoints and military buildings, resulting in six deaths and hundreds of arrests. Protesters attacked a radio station in the northwest city of Peshawar on Wednesday.
“Such scenes were never seen by the people of Pakistan,” Sharif said, following a Cabinet meeting. “Even patients were taken out of ambulances and ambulances were set on fire.”
He called such actions "unforgivable," and warned that anybody who participated in violence would face severe punishment. Sharif stated that Khan was detained due to his involvement in corruption and that there was proof to back up these allegations.
Khan, who was deposed by Sharif in a no-confidence vote last year, is being kept inside an Islamabad police facility. A judge in the city's interim court ordered the 70-year-old lawmaker imprisoned for at least another eight days, heightening the potential of further turmoil.
The military also issued a forceful statement, pledging serious action against anyone attempting to drag Pakistan into a "civil war," and referring to the organized attacks on its sites as a "black chapter" in the country's political history.
“What the eternal enemy of the country could not do for 75 years, this group, wearing a political cloak, in the lust for power, has done it,” the statement said, adding that troops had exercised restraint but they will respond to further attacks, and those involved will bear the responsibility.
It stated that "strict action" would be taken against individuals who plotted or participated in assaults on military installations. It did not specifically mention Khan in its remarks.
Khan's dramatic arrest on Tuesday—he was removed from a hearing in Islamabad's High Court on one set of charges, only to be detained on another set—was the latest clash to engulf Pakistan. He is the eighth previous prime minister to be detained in the country, which has also witnessed military involvement over the years. The action comes at a time when the cash-strapped country is attempting to avoid default.
Khan appeared in Islamabad on various corruption accusations made by police. As he entered, the courtroom was attacked by scores of anti-corruption agents backed by paramilitary personnel from the National Accountability Bureau. After Khan's guards refused to unlock the door, they smashed the glass.
The former cricketer has described the proceedings against him, which include corruption and terrorist charges, as a politically driven scheme by his successor, Nawaz Sharif, to prevent him from regaining power in elections later this year.
Fawad Chaudhry, Khan's deputy and vice president of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was also detained outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad on Wednesday. Chaudhry, a vocal government opponent, had claimed on legal immunity from arrest, and the police had not specified the allegations.
Although the party has urged for calm, the country is on high alert. Police were out in force, and shipping containers were erected across a road leading to the enormous police facility in Islamabad where Khan was being kept. Despite this, protestors stormed and burnt down the office of a senior police official in charge of the protection of police buildings, including the one where Khan is being kept, on Wednesday evening.
According to police official Naeem Khan, his followers invaded a facility holding Radio Pakistan, smashing equipment and setting it flames. He said that several employees were stuck inside, and that police were attempting to restore order.
The local authority in eastern Punjab province urged the army to intervene after 157 police officers were hurt in skirmishes with demonstrators, according to officials.
Since Tuesday, police have detained 945 Khan followers, including Asad Umar and Sarfraz Cheema, two top officials of his party.
GEO television in Pakistan aired footage of Khan's appearance before a judge in the police facility, showing him seated on a chair and clutching paperwork. He seemed to be relaxed yet fatigued.
Khan was charged in the new allegations of taking millions of dollars in property in exchange for giving favors to a real estate mogul. The National Accountability Bureau requested that he be held for 14 days, but the tribunal only allowed him eight.
Khan was eventually accused in the initial graft case in which he appeared in court in Islamabad on Tuesday, pleaded not guilty. In that instance, he was charged with many counts of corruption by Islamabad police.
Khan's attorneys have disputed his detention in Islamabad and are considering bringing the case to the country's Supreme Court.
