Published on : 03/18/2023 – 12:31
Accused of corruption, Imran Khan is expected to appear in court in Islamabad on Saturday. According to the former Pakistani Prime Minister, the government could take this opportunity to arrest him. The former cricket champion claims to be at the center of a political plot to prevent him from running in the elections scheduled for October.
Another day under high tension for Pakistan. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan expects to be arrested on his way to court on Saturday (March 18th) to face corruption charges, after days of legal wrangling and clashes between his supporters and police.
“I am going to court in Islamabad right now. I want to tell everyone that they have made a plan to arrest me,” Imran Khan said in a video message sent from the highway.
Ousted from power in April 2022 following a motion of no confidence, Imran Khan has since pressured the fragile coalition government that replaced him to hold early elections.
And he claims to be at the center of a plot to prevent him from running in the elections scheduled for October.
Entangled in a series of legal cases, a frequent risk for opposition figures, the 70-year-old former cricket champion was summoned to court in the Pakistani capital on Saturday to face corruption charges.
Islamabad on high alert
At the same time, some 4,000 security personnel, including elite police commandos and counter-terrorism squads, were deployed around Islamabad. Hospitals have been placed on high alert.
Police also raided the home of Imran Khan, located in an affluent district of Lahore (east), after blocking nearby roads and suspending mobile phone services in the area.
>> To see: For the ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, “there is always a threat” on his life
“The attack on my house was not intended to bring me to court in Islamabad. The aim was to put me in jail,” Imran Khan continued.
Earlier this week, clashes erupted between his supporters gathered outside his home and the police sent to arrest him.
A court eventually ordered law enforcement to stand down and Imran Khan vowed to appear in court on Saturday, after repeatedly refusing over security concerns.
With AFP
Source: France 24
