The crisis in Pakistan continues and the former prime minister said today that another arrest is imminent following an ultimatum given to him by the government authorities.

Imran Khan, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was arrested on May 9 upon his arrival at an Islamabad court where he was on trial in a corruption case. He was released on parole a few days after the country’s Supreme Court found his arrest illegal.

Several court cases are pending against the 70-year-old Khan. He was removed from power in April 2022 after being impeached.

His arrest sparked violent clashes in several cities around the country between his supporters and security forces. Many government buildings were set on fire, military symbols were destroyed, and the main highways were blocked. At least nine people died as a result of these violent incidents. Hundreds of police officers were injured and more than 4,000 people were arrested.

The Pakistani government today accused Khan of harboring aides and supporters wanted for attacks on members of the Pakistani armed forces. The government gave him 24 hours to hand them over, warning Khan that he would face a police operation if he did not.

Following this warning, the former prime minister tweeted that the police had surrounded his home in Lahore and that a new arrest was imminent. “This is probably my last tweet before my next arrest,” she wrote this afternoon.

Punjab Provincial Information Minister Amir Mir said intelligence and law enforcement agencies have identified 30 to 40 people accused of attacking military installations, saying they were hiding in Khan’s home in Lahore.

“We are issuing an ultimatum that these terrorists must be handed over to the police, otherwise we will take action,” Mir said at a press conference. He warned that Khan had 24 hours to hand over the suspects and warned that a police operation would be launched if the former prime minister did not comply.

Khan’s aide Iftikhar Durrani stressed that the allegation that Khan was harboring people suspected of involvement in violent incidents was baseless and reiterated his call for an independent investigation.

Khan’s arrest comes a day after he was criticized by powerful military nations for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of plotting to kill him and an army commander of being responsible for his dismissal a year ago.

The day after Pakistani justice released him, Khan asked his supporters to take to the streets of the country again.

Mir and Federal Information Minister Mariam Oranzeb said that the cases of those accused of attacks on military targets would be tried in military courts. “Attacks on the country’s army represent a confrontation,” Oranzeb said at a separate press conference today.

The military has already announced that those accused of attacks on military targets will be tried in military courts, saying the May 9 attacks were “pre-planned” and ordered by Khan’s party leaders, which he and his party deny.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters.