- The Washington Times - Thursday, May 11, 2023

Political unrest has surged this week in Pakistan, with police cracking down on supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan amid protests and violence in the nation following his arrest this week.

The turbulence Pakistan took on a fresh twist Thursday, with the highest court in Islamabad ordering Mr. Khan’s release from custody over the government’s objections. Army troops had been called out a day earlier to deal with pro-Khan protests in cities across the country.

By late Thursday, the Pakistani Supreme Court ruling appeared to have quelled violence in cities across the country, although there were reports of continued clashes between Khan supporters and police near the court building in the capital city.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, which supported Mr. Khan’s arrest, denounced the Supreme Court ruling and said it was determined to find some legal avenue to keep the former premier behind bars on fraud and corruption charges.

“We will arrest him again,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told Pakistan’s Dunya TV on Thursday.

Authorities detained more than 1,000 people in overnight raids between Wednesday and Thursday after Mr. Khan pleaded not guilty to corruption charges. The ex-leader has accused the Sharif government, the military and the U.S. of conspiring to block his way back to power.

Analysts say the unrest could trigger wider instability in the region, including in Afghanistan, where the Taliban government swept to power following the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021.

Pakistan has tread a careful diplomatic line between the U.S. and China — on one hand ramping up military and economic ties with Beijing, while also maintaining a broad slate of partnerships with Washington.

Citing Chinese media reports, the Reuters news agency on Thursday said Beijing recently delivered two frigates to Pakistan’s navy, completing a four-warship deal inked in 2018, amid deepening cooperation between the two nations.

Mr. Sharif, meanwhile, ordered the Pakistani military into the streets of Islamabad on Wednesday amid raging protests that followed Mr. Khan’s arraignment in the capital city.

Video showed dozens of security officers forcibly removing the 70-year-old from court and bundling him into a police vehicle, according to the BBC. In a case brought by Pakistan’s Election Commission, the former prime minister is charged with unlawfully selling state gifts during his time in office. Mr. Khan has denied any wrongdoing.

The Supreme Court ruling on Thursday said the arrest on the corruption charges was illegal.

The Pakistani military has a complicated role in the current developments. The military was widely seen as paving the route to power for the onetime international cricket star when Mr. Khan became prime minister in 2018. But his relationship with the politically powerful military establishment had deteriorated when he was ousted in April 2022.

Pakistani police said Thursday that nearly 1,600 Khan supporters had been detained overnight on charges of attacking military installations and damaging public property.

The crackdown came after mobs became violent in several cities. In one incident, following Mr. Khan’s arrest on Tuesday, a mob reportedly set fire to the sprawling residence of a top army commander in Lahore, an eastern Pakistani city. At least 10 people died. Dozens of people were injured in clashes between protesters and police.

Mr. Khan will appear Friday before the Islamabad High Court to reconsider its earlier ruling that the arrest was legal, The Associated Press reported. He may also seek assurances he won’t be arrested again in the future on the corruption charges.

This article is based in part on wire service reports.

• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.

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