Pakistani police have arrested at least 10 lawmakers from the political party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan during an hours-long raid on the parliament building in Islamabad that began Monday night, officials said.
The police action marked the first time in recent history that Pakistani lawmakers have been arrested while sitting in parliament and deepened the political turmoil that has gripped the country for the past three years. That crisis has pitted Pakistan’s powerful military — long seen as an invisible hand guiding the country’s politics — against the still-powerful political force of Mr. Khan and his die-hard supporters.
The overnight police raid began around 8:30 p.m. Monday night, when dozens of police officers entered the building in the capital shortly after the end of a legislative session. As news of the raid spread, some lawmakers barricaded themselves in their offices, while others were pulled from their cars by officers as they tried to leave the building, according to videos and witnesses.
Late Monday night, the lights in the building went out and were not turned back on until after the police operation ended around 2 a.m. on Tuesday.
According to court documents and leaders of Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the party members were arrested on suspicion of violating anti-terrorism laws. Court documents show that at least one lawmaker who was arrested was released late Tuesday night.
Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Analysts said the raid was a sign of the lengths the security services are prepared to go to to crush Khan's party, even in the corridors of parliament.
“Whatever happened in Parliament, a stand will definitely have to be taken,” National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said during a tense session on Tuesday.
During that session, some cabinet members from the ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), defended the arrests, describing them as a result of threats made by PTI leaders at a rally on Sunday to secure Khan's release from prison within two weeks, by force if necessary.
“It was a response to what happened at the meeting,” said Khawaja Muhammad Asif, the defence minister and a member of the PMLN.
But Mr Khan's party members condemned them as a threat to the country's fragile democracy. “This is an attack on democracy and the constitution of Pakistan,” said Ali Muhammad Khan, a lawmaker from PTI
The current political crisis began in 2022, when Mr Khan, a former international cricket star turned populist politician, fell out with the generals and was ousted as prime minister in a vote of no confidence. He has since made a stunning political comeback, mobilizing thousands across the country with his message criticizing the military’s role in politics.
Earlier this year, Mr. Khan’s party won the most seats in a general election but fell short of the majority needed to form a government. His rivals, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s party, instead formed a coalition government. Mr. Khan was arrested last year and remains in jail on what he calls politically motivated charges.
In recent months, the generals have slowly increased their repression against Khan's party.
Last month, the military arrested a powerful former spy chief and ally of Mr. Khan — the first time in Pakistan’s history that a current or former head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, has been court-martialed. Rights groups and analysts have accused the government of secretly testing a firewall-like system to better monitor and control the country’s internet, including social media sites where Mr. Khan’s supporters are particularly active.
Recently, Khan's supporters have expressed concern that the generals are preparing to take Khan to a military court. Khan is accused of ordering his supporters to attack military installations during a large protest last year.
While some had hoped his party would enter into talks with the military to secure Khan's release, most are now convinced that this is no longer possible.
“It appears that PTI sees no way of getting Imran Khan released from prison through a negotiated settlement with the military and has instead chosen to use this moment to put pressure on the establishment and launch a political campaign,” said Zaigham Khan, an Islamabad-based political analyst.
The most provocative speech at Sunday’s rally was delivered by Ali Amin Gandapur, an ally of Mr. Khan and the prime minister of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Mr. Gandapur, known for his brash style of politics, threatened to stage a mass protest in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, where the local government is run by the PTI’s main rival party, the PMLN
“Put your house in order,” Mr. Gandapur said in remarks aimed at the military. “I am not afraid of the army uniform,” he added, in what was taken as a warning against any attempt to bring Mr. Khan before a military court.
Mr Gandapur accused journalists who did not support Mr Khan's party of betraying themselves.
Mr Gandapur's speech was widely condemned, even by members of his own party, for allegedly using inflammatory and derogatory language.
Mr Khan, the analyst, said the speech made the crisis “seem insurmountable for now, signalling difficult times ahead for the PTI” but also for the coalition government and the military, both of which are struggling with a lack of public support and credibility.
Some called PTI's criticism hypocritical, pointing to an incident in 2022, during Khan's tenure, when three opposition members were arrested in their boxes opposite the parliament building.
Mr Sadiq, the Speaker of the National Assembly, has ordered a thorough investigation into the arrests and has asked the Islamabad Inspector General for a report on the incident, his office said in a statement.
The ruling party, widely seen as little more than a front for the military, stood alone in defending the police actions. On Tuesday, even its coalition partners in government condemned the arrests, saying they crossed a line and were a signal of hard times ahead.
“What will happen tomorrow?” said Syed Naveed Qamar, a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party. “Will they come and take you, from the floor of parliament?”
