Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan arrested in graft case – ABC News

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan arrested in graft case
Pakistan's anti-corruption agency has arrested former prime minister Imran Khan at Islamabad High Court, sparking clashes between Mr Khan's supporters and police that killed at least one protester.
Protests have erupted across the country, with clashes between protesters and police resulting in at least one death
Mr Khan's arrest came one day after the powerful military issued a rare public rebuke of the former PM for repeated accusations against a senior military official of attempting to assassinate him, and the military's former chief of being behind the move to remove him from power.
Footage of the arrest shared by Mr Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party showed scores of security personnel in riot-control gear whisking him away in a van.
A high court in Islamabad summoned authorities to explain Mr Khan's arrest on court premises, an arrest that triggered widespread unrest as Mr Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called on supporters to "shut down Pakistan".
"Pakistan's people, this is the time to save your country. You won't get any other opportunity," the PTI wrote on Twitter.
Authorities in three of Pakistan's four provinces imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings after Mr Khan's supporters clashed with police.
They blocked major roads in a string of cities and stormed military buildings in Lahore and Rawalpindi, according to witnesses and videos shared by his party.
The clashes killed one of the protesters and injured 12 people, including six police officers in the southern city of Quetta, provincial home minister Ziaullah Langove said.
Protesters also blocked major roads in the port city of Karachi and police fired tear gas at protesters in the capital Islamabad, according to Reuters witnesses.
Pakistan's telecommunications watchdog told Reuters that mobile data services were being suspended on interior ministry orders, while Netblocks, a global internet monitor, said access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube had been restricted.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters that Mr Khan was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after he did not appear before it "despite notices".
He said the charges against Mr Khan were that he and his wife had received land worth up to 7 billion rupees ($36.26 billion) from a land developer that had been charged with money laundering by British authorities.
Mr Sanaullah added that British authorities had returned 190 million pounds ($354 million) to Pakistan in connection with money laundering, but that Mr Khan had returned the money to the developer instead of keeping it in the national exchequer.
Mr Khan has denied wrongdoing.
The NAB had issued Mr Khan's arrest warrants on May 1, according to an order seen by Reuters.
"Khan is accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices," it said.
Imran Khan rode a wave of fame into Pakistan's highest office. Now, just months after he being ousted as prime minister, he's engineering chaos to get back into power.
Mr Khan's graft case is one of over 100 cases registered against him since he was ousted from power in a parliamentary vote in April last year. He served four years of his five-year term.
In most of the cases, Mr Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled for November.
Mr Khan's party previously vowed to ramp up protests upon his arrest, which analysts say would add to the struggles of a government already hobbled by an economic crisis that has left the nuclear-armed country on the brink of default.
Previous attempts to arrest Mr Khan from his Lahore home resulted in heavy clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel.
Political infighting is common in Pakistan, where no prime minister has yet fulfilled a full term and where the military has ruled for nearly half of the country's history.
Reuters
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