Khawaja Haris (L) and Ali Zafar, members of the legal team of former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, wait to attend a hearing near the police headquarters, in Islamabad on May 10, 2023. (Photo by Aamir Qureshi / AFP)
Islamabad: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan appeared in a special court at the capital's police headquarters Wednesday to answer graft charges, local media reported, a day after his arrest prompted violent nationwide protests.
Some local media, citing unnamed sources, said prosecutors had asked for Khan to be remanded in custody for 14 days.
Geo TV said Khan was allowed to consult with his lawyers during the hearing, but court officials were not available to confirm details of proceedings, held behind closed doors.
Khan's detention Tuesday follows months of political crisis and came hours after the powerful military rebuked the former international cricketer for alleging that a senior officer had been involved in a plot to kill him.
Some protesters took out their wrath on the military, torching the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and laying siege at the entrance to the army's general headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party activists and supporters of former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, clash with police. (Photo by Abdul Majeed / AFP)
"At a time we are already struggling to feed our children, further uncertainty has been created," Farooq Bhatti, a van driver, told AFP in Rawalpindi Wednesday morning.
"The violence will not serve anyone... everyone will be affected... but I doubt the decision makers care."
Authorities also ordered schools closed across the country and continued restricting access to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
Police fought pitched battles with supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in cities across the country for hours on Tuesday night.
Local media reported two deaths in those clashes, while police said 945 "law breakers and miscreants" had been arrested in Punjab alone, the country's most populous province.
Protesters blocked some routes leading to Islamabad around lunchtime Wednesday but there was a huge security presence across the capital, particularly outside the so-called police lines where the special court convened.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, vice chairman of the PTI, urged supporters to keep protesting in a "lawful and peaceful manner", adding party lawyers would file appeals and petitions against Khan's arrest.
Military rebuke
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told a press conference there was "no political vendetta" surrounding Khan's arrest.
The case that led to his detention was brought by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan's top anti-corruption body, which said he had ignored repeated summons to appear in court.
"Whenever he was summoned to court, he would do so at his own leisure -- and only after being given a final warning," said Tarar.
Khan has faced dozens of charges since being ousted in April, a tactic analysts say successive Pakistan governments have used to silence their opponents.
He could be barred from holding public office if convicted, which would exclude him from elections scheduled for later this year.
Khan's arrest came a day after the military warned him against making "baseless allegations" after he again accused a senior officer of plotting to kill him.
