Arrest to Eclipse Imran Khan's Eid? Fresh Crisis in Pak as Shehbaz Sharif May Crack the Whip on Predecessor

In a fresh twist to Pakistan’s political crisis, top sources in the establishment told CNN-News18 that former prime minister Imran Khan, who was ousted from power, is likely to be arrested on Monday or post Eid on Tuesday.

Sources said Khan is likely to be arrested in the Madina FIR case in which Pakistan’s Punjab police had booked the former prime minister and 150 others, including some members of his former cabinet, in connection with the hounding of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation at Masjid-e-Nabwi in Saudi Arabia.

Video clips circulating on social media showed some pilgrims — apparently supporters of Imran Khan — shouting ‘chor’ (thief) and ‘gaddar’ (traitor) as soon as Shehbaz Sharif and other members of his delegation arrived at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina last Thursday.

Punjab police on Saturday night registered an FIR against Khan, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, and 150 others, including former federal ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Sheikh Rasheed, former adviser to the prime minister Shahbaz Gul, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Soori, and Khan’s close aides in London, Anil Musarrat and Sahibzada Jehangir.

The sources added that the establishment has three strong cases against Imran Khan — selling off state gifts from the ‘Toshakhana’; the foreign funding case which is pending since November 14, 2014, and was filed by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar, who had alleged that there are some financial irregularities in the PTI’s funding from Pakistan and abroad; and now the Madina case.

The sources told CNN-News18 that the Madina case was “like a jackpot” with a readymade FIR. They added that Sheikh Rasheed was missing since Sunday or he would have been arrested by now.

The sources reiterated that Imran Khan’s arrest is top priority for the establishment.

If Khan is arrested — a possibility that Pakistan’s new rulers are thinking through — it will add to the pandemonium in a country where democratic foundations are already on thin ice.

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