Pakistan Police Arrest Several Lawmakers from Imran Khan's Party
The Facts
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 Spin
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.
