Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested

Imran Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistan who remains highly popular, was arrested on corruption charges on Tuesday after successfully avoiding arrest for several months. Earlier attempts to arrest him had been thwarted, with a court order to detain him in March leading to violent clashes between his supporters and police outside his home in Lahore. 

Khan's arrest on Tuesday occurred while he was in court in Islamabad, and was accompanied by a dramatic scene in which he was barely visible among a swarm of officers in riot gear as they escorted him outside and bundled him into a vehicle. 

Khan has faced multiple charges, including corruption and sedition, since being ousted following a confidence vote last year, so his arrest was not entirely unexpected. Nonetheless, it has infuriated his fans and horrified a country that was looking for an end to the political standoff that has brought Pakistan to the verge of collapse.

What is happening in pakistan

Imran Khan the Prime Minister of Pakistan has been arrested.

• According to the government of Pakistan, Imran Khan was arrested for non-cooperation with authorities in an ongoing corruption investigation. The case alleges that during his tenure as Prime Minister, Mr Khan received land as a bribe in exchange for political favours.
• The investigation pertains to "laundered" money by Pakistan's largest property tycoon, Malik Riaz Hussain, which was conducted by Britain's National Crime Agency.
• The case alleges that Mr Hussain gave the land to the Al-Qadir Trust, which was set up by Mr Khan's third wife, Bushra Bibi. Mr Khan, who refuted the charges, claims that the land had been donated for charitable purposes. 
• Mr Hussain has denied laundering money, but it is not known where he stands on the question of land for favours.
• Following his incarceration, Mr Khan was charged in another graft case, alleging that he failed to disclose the money he made by selling gifts he acquired as Prime Minister on foreign trips.  On Wednesday, Mr Khan was charged in this case, and he pleaded not guilty.

Reason Why Imran Khan arrested by Paramilitary Police

Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and ex-cricket star, was arrested on Tuesday by paramilitary troops who broke into a courthouse in Islamabad to detain him on multiple corruption charges.

This sudden and dramatic arrest is the latest development in months of ongoing political turmoil in Pakistan after Khan's ousting last year. Court documents reveal that the National Accountability Bureau, the country's anti-corruption agency, brought the charges against him. When the paramilitary forces broke through a window to capture Khan, he was inputting his biometric information for a court appearance.

A video provided by his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) shows the chaotic scene, where paramilitary forces attacked the premises before arresting Khan. Another video sent to CNN by PTI shows paramilitary troops holding batons and piling out of cars before the arrest.

Pakistan Internet Shut Down

Access Now, an international human rights organisation, has called for the government of Pakistan to immediately restore full access to the internet and social media throughout the country. The organisation expresses concern over the unjustifiable restrictions on internet access and social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, which have been blocked in several regions, including the capital city of Islamabad. 

The organisation condemns the growing trend of imposing internet shutdowns without considering the impact on fundamental rights and freedoms, and urges Pakistani authorities to commit to maintaining unrestricted internet access in the future. Access Now calls on the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to protect human rights and immediately restore access to the internet and social media platforms across the country.

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