AFP image.
Islamabad: Pakistan fell into severe turmoil after the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was arrested and sent to eight-day custody at National Accountability Bureau (NAB). At least eight people were killed around 290 were injured in the clashes that broke out between security forces and those who protested against Imran on the streets, Dawn reported.
The PTI has claimed that its senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi has, been “arrested” by the Islamabad police in the early hours of Thursday and transferred to an “undisclosed location”.
A video shared by the party on Twitter shows plain-clothed men taking Qureshi away, with him waving at party workers before departing from the location where he was detained.
Police and protesters entered into bloody clashes in many provinces all day on Wednesday. To control and contain the situation, the military was deployed in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad. This was after a protesting mob stormed the residence of the corps commanded in Lahore, tearing down a gate of GHQ in Rawalpindi.
Mob set fire to a police officer in Islamabad, a police station in Lahore, Radio Pakistan’s building in Peshawar and Scouts Fort in Chakkdara, Lower Dir.
In Islamabad, protesters damaged a police station and uprooted a railway track in Tarnol. Police here detained more than 200 PTI supporters. In Rawalpindi, 190 people were detained.
In Lahore, the Shadman police were besieged and damaged. The Governor's House and CM Secretariat were stormed, and at least 25 government vehicles were burnt. In addition, 14 government buildings were stormed. Here, police claimed to have detained 1,280 protesters.
A murder case was registered in Lahore against leaders of PTI, including Imran and more than 1,200 people.
Peshwar witnessed most of the deadly clashes. Here at least seven died, and more than 122 were injured.
Only Sindh province remained relatively peaceful.