Pakistan has been in uproar since the arrest of Imran Khan, the former prime minister, by paramilitary officers who smashed their way into a courthouse last week. Furious supporters took to the streets to demand his release and more than 1,400 were subsequently arrested for attacking public property and, in unprecedented scenes, even military buildings. Then the supreme court ruled Khan’s arrest was illegal and he was released on bail.
The former cricketing hero turned politician faces more than 100 cases against him ranging from corruption to sedition, which critics say are part of an attempt to stop him taking part in national elections. Yesterday Khan’s house was once more surrounded by police. He has blamed his arrest on Pakistan’s military, who he claims have a grudge against him.
The military play a powerful role in the country’s politics: Pakistan has had four military rulers who racked up more than three decades of martial law between them. Khan was seen as having their support when he first became prime minister – and to have lost it just before he was ousted from power.
The Pakistani journalist Yusra Askari explains Khan’s appeal and the chaos of the past week, while the journalist, novelist and former Pakistani air force pilot Mohammed Hanif tells Nosheen Iqbal about the historical tensions between civilian rulers and the military, and why these attacks by Khan and his followers in the military are so surprising.
Photograph: Anjum Naveed/AP
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