Pakistan Court Allows Ex-PM Khan's Arrest Over Riots
The Facts
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Wednesday allowed Pakistani authorities to interrogate and arrest former PM Imran Khan regarding an attack on an army building during protests that followed Khan’s brief arrest on corruption charges in May.
Khan, who's already facing a three-year jail sentence following his conviction earlier this month in a separate case, has denied the charges against him, saying that the government seeks to prevent him from contesting upcoming national elections.
The Spin
Narrative A
Khan's arrest is illegal and politically motivated. The accusations against him are completely fabricated, with his opponents pursuing 80 different cases against him — including completely baseless accusations of murder, sedition, blasphemy, and terrorism — in the hopes that something will stick. The government wants to remove Khan from the electoral contest because it fears his popularity among voters.
Narrative B
The arrest of Imran Khan is not politically motivated; he is accused of theft and corruption. His denial of every accusation merely serves to demonstrate that he avoids accountability in every way. His case has been investigated thoroughly, and the verdict followed due process. With his sentence, Khan will be disqualified from politics for five years.
