LAHORE: Pakistan’s former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan called for nationwide “freedom” protests on Sunday (today) after his release following his arrest and detention last week triggered deadly protests.
The PTI chief, who has been facing dozens of legal cases since being removed from power in April last year, was released on bail on Friday after his arrest was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court.
Enraged by the arrest, his supporters set fire to government buildings, blocked roads and highways and damaged property belonging to the military, which they blamed for Khan’s arrest.
“Freedom does not come easily and you have to snatch it. It calls for sacrifice,” he said in a speech streamed on YouTube on Saturday evening.
He urged his followers to stage rallies “at the end of your streets and villages” around the country on Sunday and declared he would return to run the campaign from Wednesday for early elections.
His arrest on Tuesday came just hours after he said that senior officials attempted to assassinate him last year.
“The army chief’s actions have damaged our military,” he said from his residence in Lahore, and added “It is because of him, not because of me.” It was not clear which army chief he was talking about, although he has blamed former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa for his ouster from power.
However, Khan distanced himself from the attacks against the military’s installations during the protests, stating his party workers were not involved and calling for an independent probe into the violence.
At least nine people were killed in the unrest last week, police and hospitals have said.
Hundreds of police officials were injured, and more than 4,000 people were detained, mostly in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
At least 10 senior PTI leaders have been taken into custody since the protests began.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that those involved in “facilitating, abetting and perpetrating” the violence must be arrested within 72 hours.
“Those who demonstrated anti-state behaviour would be arrested and tried in anti-terrorist courts,” he said during his visit to Jinnah House Lahore, which also serves as the corps commander’s house.
