(Lahore) The day after his release on bail, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday called for new protests in the country, after days of clashes between his supporters and security forces sparked by his arrest.
“Freedom does not come easily. You have to pull it out. You have to sacrifice yourself for it,” Imran Khan said in a speech to his supporters from his Lahore residence on Saturday evening.
On Tuesday, the former head of government (2018-2022) was arrested by dozens of paramilitaries during a routine appearance before a court in Islamabad in a corruption case.
Entangled in dozens of court cases, Imran Khan, who has been mounting accusations against the powerful Pakistani army since his ouster from power, was finally released on bail on Friday after his arrest was declared illegal by the Supreme Court.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah nevertheless promised that Mr Khan, who has been pushing for several months for elections to be held before October in the hope of returning to power, would sooner or later be arrested again.
His arrest sparked violent clashes in several cities across the country between his supporters and the security forces. Several government buildings were set on fire, military symbols destroyed and roads blocked.
In his speech Imran Khan distanced himself from the degradations committed against military installations and denied that members of his party, the PTI, were involved, calling for an independent investigation into the violence.
At least nine people died during these events, according to the police and the hospitals. Hundreds of police were injured and more than 4,000 people arrested, mainly in the provinces of Punjab (east) of which Lahore is the capital and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (northwest), according to the authorities.
On Saturday, the former cricket star turned politician nevertheless called on his supporters to take to the streets of the country again on Sunday and announced the resumption of his campaign for early elections on Wednesday.
Earlier, the current Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who succeeded Mr. Khan, warned that “those who have shown anti-state behavior will be arrested and tried by anti-terrorism courts”.
“Misperceptions”
For months, the popular ex-prime minister has been ranting about his successor and the military establishment that helped him rise to power in 2018 before stepping down. withdraw his trust.
PHOTO KM CHAUDARY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Supporters of the former Prime Minister celebrate his release in the streets of Lahore.
“The army chief’s actions have made our army evil. It’s because of him, not because of me, ”he once again denounced without knowing whether he was talking about the incumbent leader or his predecessor, whom Mr. Khan holds responsible. of his eviction.
Earlier, Imran Khan had already told reporters that “one man alone, the army chief”, was behind his arrest on Tuesday.
The army, which denies Mr Khan’s accusations, warned again on Saturday against malicious attempts to create “misperceptions” against the institution.
Hours before Mr. Khan’s arrest on Tuesday, she had already denounced the “fabricated and malicious allegations” made against her by the PTI leader over the weekend.
The latter had once again accused a senior officer of having plotted to assassinate him in November during a campaign rally where he had been shot in the leg.
Direct criticism of the powerful army is rare, as it is considered a red line not to be crossed, at the risk of finding oneself in the sights of the security apparatus.
The military wields considerable political influence in Pakistan. It has staged at least three coups since independence in 1947 and held power for more than three decades.
“Everyone knows who it is. It’s the military who are behind (Mr. Khan’s arrest),” Mohsin Khan, a 21-year-old PTI supporter, told AFP outside Mr. Khan’s home.