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Pervez Masih/AP
Supporters of Pakistan’s former Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan hold a banner of their leader next to burning tires during a protest to condemn the arrest of their leader, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Khan was arrested Tuesday as he appeared in a court in the country’s capital, Islamabad, to face charges in multiple graft cases. Security agents dragged Khan outside and shoved him into an armored car before whisking him away. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih)
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Tens of thousands of people in Pakistan have taken to the streets protesting the arrest of the country’s former prime minister Imran Khan. The protests have turned violent, with at least eight people dead and 1500 arrested. Today’s episode of Newsable breaks down some of the factors that contributed to this simmering situation boiling over.
So what’s going on in Pakistan?
Civil unrest! Protests! Social media sites like Facebook and YouTube have been banned, the internet has been sporadically cut off by the government, public buildings and police vehicles burned. Some people have died, hundreds more have been arrested. Chaos, in brief, and it’s all to do with the ousting and subsequent arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
Wait, Imran Khan as in the cricketer Imran Khan?
Yes – the legendary all-rounder and contemporary of Richard Hadlee retired after leading Pakistan to the World Cup in 1992 and began his political career by starting a new, anti-establishment, populist party called PTI in 1996. Over the years the party slowly built up support and in 2018 they won enough votes to head a coalition government, with Imran Khan as prime minister. His government collapsed in 2022 as Khan was embroiled in corruption charges relating to gifts he purportedly received and then on-sold for personal gain.
Are these charges the reason why he was arrested earlier this month?
No – this is a separate issue relating to land transfers. Khan has been under the kosh lately, it’s fair to say.
Is that because he’s a corrupt leader?
It depends who you ask. An important point to make here is: Pakistan’s democracy has, historically, been pretty fragile. There have been several corrupt administrations over the past 80 years or so, and quite a few military coups as well. Pakistan’s army is extremely powerful both militarily (it’s a nuclear power) and politically, and this means politicians have historically had to keep the military on side. When Imran Khan came to power, he tried to upend the status quo and didn’t kowtow to the wishes of the military upper echelon. He claims this has caused the army to revolt against him.
So when did he get arrested and why was it controversial?
He was arrested on May 9th by paramilitary forces (‘paramilitary’ means an army that has a similar organisational structure to a normal army, but which isn’t an official part of a country’s official military). Because his arrestors weren’t the actual police or army this was strongly criticised by many local and international legal experts. The Supreme Court ended up siding with Khan when he challenged the arrest and he was released, though he’s said he expects to be re-arrested soon.
So … Imran Khan is the goodie, the army dudes are the baddies?
Again, not that simple. While Khan has held himself up as a reformer, his government has been quite heavy-handed when it comes to fundamental elements of democratic process, like freedom of the press and civil liberties. Pakistan’s economy has tanked under his charge – though, of course, lots of countries have experienced economic downturns over the past couple of years. He’s also cultivated closer relations with China and Russia, and he claims this has turned the USA against him.
This seems messy
It IS messy.
Any end in sight?
Not really, no. Certainly these protests are continuing: remember, Pakistan is a huge country, the fifth most-populous in the world, and Khan’s party did win the most votes in 2018. He also managed to win a lot of support from young people, which may contribute to the force of these protests.
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