Pakistan's anti-terrorism court has allowed police to interrogate and arrest Imran Khan in a case related to the attack on an army building during protests following his brief arrest on corruption charges in May this year.
According to Al Jazeera, the 70-year-old former prime minister and cricket star is currently serving a three-year jail sentence for an earlier conviction in relation to corruption charges, which he vehemently denied and alleged was a way for the current government to prevent him from contesting the upcoming general elections, which still has no confirmed date.
Khan Arrested Anew for Lahore Riots
Earlier this week, the anti-terrorism court in Lahore gave its approval to arrest Khan after police filed an application seeking to question him regarding the storming of the so-called Jinnah House, the official residence of the top military commander in the city.
The incident was fueled by the earlier arrest of Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court on May 9. Thousands of Khan's angry supporters hit the streets and attacked government and military installations as they demanded his release.
Pakistani authorities alleged the people involved in the riots were members of Khan's Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party, which led to a state crackdown on riot participants where thousands of PTI leaders and workers were arrested, many of whom are still behind bars.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Supreme Court challenged the Islamabad High Court Wednesday (August 23) for its decision to imprison Khan in the corruption case, which involved the nondisclosure of the gifts he and his wife received from foreign governments and leaders when he was the prime minister between 2018 and 2022. The apex court said the verdict about the matter might have "serious defects" that warranted its review.
