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TIMELINE - From ouster to arrest: Key dates in Imran Khan saga in Pakistan

May 9, 2023 at 3:51 pm

Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan hold an anti-government rally in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 19, 2023 [Yousuf Khan – Anadolu Agency]

Pakistan’s former premier, Imran Khan, was arrested on Tuesday as he appeared for hearings at the Islamabad High Court.

He was charged in a number of cases that his party says are politically motivated, ranging from corruption, terrorism and rioting, since being ousted from power in a no-confidence vote last April.

From blaming the US to topple his government to getting shot in the leg at a rally to force snap polls, here is a timeline of events that led to Khan’s arrest:

8 March, 2022: 13-party opposition alliance moves no-confidence motion in Parliament against then-Prime Minister, Imran Khan

27 March, 2022: Khan claims the no-trust move is part of an alleged “foreign-funded conspiracy” to topple his government, shows letter as evidence

3 April, 2022: National Assembly Deputy Speaker, Qasim Suri, dismisses the no-trust motion without a vote, terms it a foreign conspiracy

READ: Will Khan’s ousting be Pakistan’s Mosaddegh moment?

3 April, 2022: President Arif Alvi dissolves the National Assembly on Khan’s advice

7 April, 2022: Supreme Court overturns the Deputy Speaker’s ruling on no-trust motion and subsequent dissolution of the lower house, orders vote on 9 April.

9 April, 2022: Khan is removed from the Prime Minister’s office as the no-confidence motion against him succeeds.

11 April, 2022: All lawmakers of his Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) party in the National Assembly resign en masse; Khan announces nationwide protests demanding immediate elections.

25 May, 2022: Khan-led “long march” protest enters Islamabad after Supreme Court’s permission,

26 May, 2022: He calls off protest to avoid confrontation; gives the government six days to announce date for snap election.

20 August, 2022: Khan is booked for threatening a female judge during protest rally in Islamabad.

2 October, 2022: Pakistan’s election commission disqualifies him in a case related to gifts he received from foreign dignitaries (Toshakhana).

28 October, 2022: He launches a second “long march” from Lahore to Islamabad to force early elections.

3 November, 2022: Khan escapes assassination attempt in Wazirabad district of north-eastern Punjab province during protest march.

4 November, 2022: He accuses successor, Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and a senior army commander of being involved in the assassination attempt.

14 January and 18 January, 2023: PTI dissolves provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it held majority, in another attempt to compel the government for early vote.

28 February, 2023: A district court in Islamabad issues a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khan for skipping hearings in Toshakhana case.

5 March, 2023: Police raid his Lahore residence, but fail to arrest him.

3 May, 2023: Khan reiterates allegations that a senior military officer planned to assassinate him twice.

8 May, 2023: Pakistan’s military rejects Khan’s “malicious and fabricated” allegations, asks him to take legal course of action.

9 May, 2023: Khan doubles down on his allegations against senior military officer as he appears before the Islamabad High Court; paramilitary Rangers arrest him in a case filed by the anti-corruption body; Party calls arrest an abduction.

READ: Pakistan’s Imran Khan should have learnt from Erdogan’s dealing with the army

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