Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan calls for nationwide protests on Sunday.
– Freedom does not come without difficulties. You have to take it. You have to sacrifice something for it, he says in a speech that was broadcast on YouTube late Saturday, local time.
Khan, who heads the PTI party, was arrested on Tuesday as he was due to appear before a court in connection with a corruption investigation, sparking violent riots in several Pakistani cities.
At least nine people lost their lives during the protests, according to information from police and hospitals. Several hundred police officers are said to have been injured and over 4,000 people were detained. At least ten high-ranking PTI figures have reportedly been arrested, Khan’s lawyers say.
On Friday, Khan was granted bail for two weeks by a court in Islamabad. This when the Supreme Court declared on Thursday that his arrest was illegal.
Khan led Pakistan between 2018 and 2022. Since then, the former cricket star has been vocal in his criticism of the country’s current government and police, and has faced several charges against him, including alleged corruption and terrorist offences.
On Monday, the military warned Khan against making “baseless accusations” after he claimed an army general was involved in an assassination attempt on him last year.