Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has been arrested by the paramilitary force in a corruption case on Tuesday. He was taken into custody by the paramilitary forces (Rangers) from the premises of Islamabad High Court in the Qadir Trust case, according to reports.

The 72 year old former PM has been continuing with his protests and continuous criticism of the Army and political leadership.

“His arrest has been imminent,’” says former Ambassador Anil Trigunayat. Adding, “However given the fragile political and devastating economic condition of the country more public unrest may follow which may not augur well for that country.”  

Fate sealed after he criticised ISI

The former PM was to appear before the Islamabad High Court for two different cases – one was related to charges of attempted murder and the other was about a mutiny case.

According to Geo News of Pakistan, he was arrested under Section 9 of NAB Ordinance 1999 and his warrant was issued by NAB on May 1.

Since he was ousted from power last April, the former PM has been implicated in over more than one hundred cases. Last year he lost a no-confidence vote, which was part of the US led conspiracy because of his independent foreign policy decisions related to China,  Russia and Afghanistan.

Following his arrest, Islamabad police imposed Section 144 due to protests.

Pakistan has a history of imprisoning their Prime Ministers

Former PM Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy 

He had served as Pakistan’s fifth prime minister from September 1956 to October 1957. Since he had refused to support Gen Ayub Khan’s military coup, through the Elective Bodies Disqualification Order (Ebdo) he was banned from politics and he was accused of violating it in the month of July 1960. Two years later in January 1962 he was arrested under the 1952 Security of Pakistan Act on false charges of “anti-state activities’’ and without trial was put in solitary confinement in Central Jail Karachi.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

He was the prime minister from August 1973 to July 1977. He was arrested in September 1977 on charges of conspiracy to murder a political opponent.

Benazir Bhutto

PM of Pakistan two times: December 1988 to August 1990; October 1993 to November 1996. And during the dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq — 1977 to 1988 Bhutto was the opposition leader. In 1985 she returned to her country following the death of her brother and was placed under house arrest for around 90 days. For denouncing the government at a public rally in Karachi she was arrested in 1986; 1998, 1999 and 2007.

Nawaz Sharif

In 1999 he was exiled by Gen Pervez Musharraf. And when he returned to Pakistan he was arrested and sent to Jeddah to complete his three remaining years of exile. Later, alongwith his daughter he was arrested for corruption by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

Prime minister of Pakistan from January 2017 to May 2018. Arrested on charges of corruption in July 2018. This was a case related to a multi-billion rupee contract for LNG in 2013 and in 2020 was released on bail.

Shehbaz Sharif

The current prime minister in September 2020 was taken into custody due to a NAB money laundering case. He stayed in jail for around seven months.