Thursday May 11, 2023
The United Nations has noted the deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all to refrain from violence.
Pakistan has been thrown into chaos after the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was taken into custody from the premises of the Supreme Court in Islamabad earlier this week.
At least five people have died in the violence, which has exacerbated instability in the country, which has been grappling with a severe economic crisis and delays in an International Monetary Fund bailout program since November.
According to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the secretary-general, Guterres appealed to all parties to respect the right to peaceful assembly and stressed the need for law enforcement agencies to uphold the law while enforcing it against Khan.
"The Secretary-General urges the authorities to respect due process and the rule of law in the proceedings against former Prime Minister Khan," the spokesman said.
Imran Khan - Pakistan's most popular political leader according to opinion polls - was arrested on Tuesday in a land scam case, prompting supporters to attack military buildings and ransack the residence of a top army general in Lahore.
Demonstrators attacked and set fire to other state buildings and property, and the government announced Wednesday that it had approved requests from two of Pakistan's four provinces — Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both Khan strongholds — and the federal capital, Islamabad, to deploy troops for reconstruction. order.
The military issued a statement saying it had exercised restraint during the earlier violence, but any further attacks on the military or law enforcement agencies, government facilities and properties "will be met with severe retaliation."
