Former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested in Pakistan

The background is one of the many cases of corruption for which Imran Khan has to answer. according to a security official. Clashes broke out between supporters of the politician and the police in front of the court in the capital, Islamabad.

In April 2022, a vote of no confidence ousted Khan as prime minister after nearly four years in office. Conservative politician Shehbaz Sharif was elected as his successor. Since then, the judiciary has brought new allegations against Khan. In recent months he has repeatedly called for mass protests and new elections.

During an attempt to arrest the 70-year-old in March of this year at his residence in the city of Lahore, violent clashes broke out between the police and his supporters.

Several corruption allegations are pending against Khan. The Pakistani election commission accuses him of having kept government gifts from his time as prime minister for himself. He is said to have sold some and embezzled the profit.

Khan describes the prosecution as politically motivated. He came to power in Pakistan in 2018 with a promise to fight corruption and nepotism. During his reign, however, his relationship with the powerful military that had sustained his rise to power increasingly deteriorated.

uh/sti (dpa, afp)