Nationwide protests erupted in Pakistan following the recent arrest of former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, resulting in violent clashes between party supporters and security forces.
The United Nations (UN) has taken notice of the volatile situation and has called for all parties to refrain from violence.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appealed to all parties to respect the right to peaceful assembly and has urged law enforcers to follow the law while enforcing it against Imran Khan. The Secretary-General emphasized the need for peaceful conflict resolution.
Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday as he appeared in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for bail in different cases.
The arrest of Khan led to violent clashes across the country, during which hundreds of party workers were detained, including former federal ministers Asad Umar, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, and Ali Zaidi.
Party supporters in several cities took to the streets and clashed with security forces, who fired tear gas and tried to beat them back. Some supporters were seen wielding sticks and face masks and entering the army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi and shouting angry slogans.
The situation remains tense, and the government has deployed additional security forces to maintain law and order. In a statement, the UN Secretary-General urged the authorities to respect due process and the rule of law in proceedings brought against Imran Khan.
this is gonna be a problem now