Imran Khan arrest updates: Pakistan taken over by bunch of crooks & duffers devoid of ethics, Imran Khan says. Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan summoned by anti-graft agency amid political turmoil
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan, who was arrested and released earlier this month on corruption charges, has been summoned by the country’s powerful anti-graft agency for questioning on Thursday.
Khan, who denies the charges, is expected to appear at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) headquarters in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, according to a NAB spokesman.
The NAB has accused Khan of receiving illegal funds from a property tycoon in exchange for a £190m settlement from the UK in 2019, when he was in power.
Khan’s arrest on May 9 sparked violent protests across Pakistan by his supporters, who attacked public property and military installations. At least 10 people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes with police.
The violence subsided only after Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered Khan’s release on May 12 and granted him protection from arrest in all cases till May 15.
Khan, who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has accused the current government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of his arch-rival Nawaz Sharif, of orchestrating a political vendetta against him.
He has also blamed the Army chief for being behind his arrest and said that democracy in Pakistan was hanging by a thread and the judiciary could save it.
Sharif has ordered authorities to arrest all those involved in facilitating, abetting and perpetrating the disgraceful incidents of arson, ransacking, sabotage and damaging public and private properties within 72 hours.
He has also vowed to uphold the rule of law and said that no one was above the law.
Khan’s arrest has fuelled instability in Pakistan at a time of economic crisis, with record inflation, anaemic growth and delayed IMF funding.
The political turmoil has also raised concerns about the security situation in the nuclear-armed nation that borders Afghanistan, where US troops are withdrawing after nearly two decades of war.
A possible meta description for the article is:
Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan faces corruption probe by NAB after his arrest triggered deadly protests and political crisis.