Is Pakistan set for new Khan vs government showdown after PTI arrests?
Al JazeeraSEP 13 2024
A number of leaders and lawmakers from former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party were arrested in raids across the Pakistani capital of Islamabad late on Monday.
A police spokesperson said Tuesday that four people were arrested. However, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said the number was as high as 13, stating the officials were picked up from various locations across the capital, including some who were arrested outside parliament.
The arrests came a day after thousands of protestors in support of Khan — imprisoned on dozens of charges that critics and his party say are politically motivated — held a rally in the outskirts of Islamabad demanding his release. The event was mostly peaceful, but there were reports of some clashes with police.
While it was right that leaders of Khan's PTI party were taken into custody for inciting violence, they should not have been arrested on parliament's grounds. Two wrongs don't make a right, therefore an investigation is ongoing to prevent this situation from happening again.
This is a dark turn for Pakistan's already repressive government. Yes, PTI leaders may have gone overboard in their statements. But none of these tensions would have flared up if the government hadn't persecuted Khan on spurrious charges, before seeking to criminalize his party.