Efforts to put Imran Khan behind bars have stepped up ahead of general elections because his popularity and large support base pose a threat to the ruling coalition and its military backers.
By Riazat Butt | Associated Press
Efforts to put the divisive politician behind bars have stepped up ahead of general elections this year because his popularity and large support base, combined with his ability to mobilize massive crowds, pose a threat to the ruling coalition and its backers in Pakistan’s powerful military that has been the final arbiter of the country’s politics since independence from Britain
Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb denied Khan’s arrest had anything to do with upcoming elections and said Khan had been given every opportunity to defend himself against the asset concealment charges. His former political secretary, Aun Chaudhry, said Saturday’s events will aid political stability, while Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari described the day’s developments as comeuppance for Khan.
In Lahore, a group of pro-Khan lawyers reached his Zaman Park home and chanted slogans protesting his conviction and arrest. In the same city, supporters of a rival political party handed out sweets to celebrate the detention.
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