18th March 2023 – (Islamabad) Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is due to appear in court on Saturday after a recent stand-off with the government that has led to clashes with his supporters. Khan, who was in office from 2018 to 2022, faces several legal challenges, including one that led to a failed attempt to arrest him on Tuesday. He is now being charged with unlawfully selling state gifts that were given to him by foreign dignitaries while he was in office, although he has insisted that he followed legal procedures in acquiring the gifts.
Khan’s supporters have been involved in several clashes with police in recent weeks, and police officers entered his home in Lahore on Saturday to intercept individuals involved in earlier altercations. Sixty-one people were arrested, including those who had thrown petrol bombs. As Khan made his way to court in a motorcade surrounded by supporters, clashes broke out near the courthouse, prompting police to fire tear gas shells.
Khan has led nationwide protests since his ouster from power last year and has had a series of cases registered against him. The former cricket star has expressed concern about his safety, saying that his political opponents and the military want to block him from standing in elections later this year. The military, which has ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 75-year history, has said that it remains neutral towards politics. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has denied being behind the cases against Khan.