Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Former Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday by paramilitary troops who smashed their way into a courthouse in Islamabad to detain him on multiple corruption charges. The dramatic arrest video outside the court’s premises also goes viral on social media platforms.
In 2018, Imran Khan became the prime minister of Pakistan but later had a falling out with the country’s powerful army. Following a series of defections, he lost his parliamentary majority. Numerous lawsuits have been filed against him ever since he was removed from power in April 2022. Khan maintains that the accusations against him are politically driven and denies any misconduct.
Khan was arrested in Islamabad on charges brought by the National Accountability Bureau, the country’s anti-corruption agency.
What is National Accountability Bureau (NAB)?
The NAB is an autonomous body empowered to undertake any required prevention and awareness, by all means, in addition to enforcing its operations against economic terrorism & financial crimes.
What happened in the Court during Khan’s arrest?
Imran Khan, who traveled from Lahore to Islamabad, underwent a biometric process at the court when the Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested Khan after beating lawyers and Imran Khan’s security staff, as per the sources.
What is the Al-Qadir Trust case?
Irfan Khan along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, are facing a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry for allegedly “accepting Rs 5 billion and hundreds of kanals (of land) from Bahria Town (an Islamabad-based real estate company) in exchange for protecting the firm in a money laundering case.”
The land was given to the accused in the form of a “donation” to a non-profit organization, Al-Qadir Trust, to set up a university. Notably, the organization had only two trustees: Imran and Bushra Bibi. The allegation is that the settlement between the firm and the PTI government caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.
Imran Khan’s arrest adds to crippling economy of Pakistan
Pakistan’s economy is already facing low growth, high inflation, unemployment, and a highly deteriorating external balance position. So, Imran Khan’s arrest added another blow to the already deteriorating condition of Pakistan. Let’s discuss the turmoils in Pakistan in detail:
ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN
Industrial activity has virtually ground to a halt as the central bank has raised interest rates to a record 21% to battle inflation, worsening already-high unemployment and poverty.
Women and children have been killed in stampedes at food distribution centers as food inflation rises to an all-time high of 40%.
REVENUE SHORTFALL
A revenue shortfall for the fiscal year through June is projected to overshoot targets substantially by most estimates, while the rupee remains weak
POLITICAL PRESSURE
Khan, arrested for alleged corruption and ousted as prime minister last year, had been ratcheting up pressure on the government through a sustained political campaign as he vied to return to power.
Authorities had made several attempts to arrest Khan since March, which had resulted in clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel.
POWERFUL MILITARY
Pakistan’s army is declared the seventh most powerful in the world as of 2023. The question here arises as to why Pakistan’s military enjoys so much power in a democracy.
Political stability contributes to strengthened democratic institutions, but the Muslim League, which demanded the partition of Pakistan from India, was organisationally weaker than the Indian National Congress. So this can be one of the reasons why the Pakistani government usually sought the backing of the powerful military, which has ruled the country for more than 30 of its 75 years. Even the Judiciary failed to uphold the Constitution, which held that the federal government has complete control and command of the armed forces.
Imran Khan’s arrest came after a day he issued a rare statement denouncing him for making allegations against a serving officer.
IMF BAILOUT PROGRAMME
An IMF bailout program, which expires in June, has been stalled since November. Foreign exchange reserves at $4.457 billion cover barely a month’s worth of imports.
Debt relief from friendly countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates has yet to materialize fully.