UPDATE 4 - Pakistan court sends ex-Premier Khan to 8 days of police custody, death toll rises amid protests

UPDATES WITH LATEST CASUALTIES, PREMIER SHARIF STATEMENT, IMRAN KHAN's LAWYER

By Aamir Latif and Islamuddin Sajid

KARACHI / ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) – A Pakistani anti-graft court sent former Prime Minister Imran Khan to police custody for eight days in a corruption case, a court record showed on Wednesday.

The court, which was temporarily relocated to a police guest house in the capital Islamabad, remanded Khan to the country's anti-corruption agency, the National Accountability Bureau.

This came after the federal government deployed the army in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, and Islamabad due to ongoing demonstrations against Khan's arrest.

The federal Interior Ministry approved the provincial caretaker governments' requests for troops to maintain law and order.

The decision came after police held scores of opposition activists in an overnight crackdown across the South Asian country following outrage and widespread protests over Khan's arrest on corruption charges on Tuesday.

Contingents of police and paramilitary forces in riot gear were also deployed around the court, with all roads leading to the site sealed.

At least four more people died in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, health officials confirmed on Wednesday, taking the death toll to seven since the demonstrations began a day earlier.

Police officials added that over 1,200 protesters were taken into custody during the demonstrations that continue in many parts of the South Asian nation.

However, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claimed that 47 protesters have been killed, but Anadolu could not verify the data.

- Premier Sharif addresses nation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the ex-premier has been arrested "in accordance with the law, and he has to face it."

In a televised address to the nation after returning from the UK on Wednesday evening, Sharif said the PTI has chosen "the path of rampage and arson," which is totally unacceptable.

"The law will take its own way. Those who have attacked security forces, and destroyed military installations and other public and private properties, will not be spared," state-run Pakistan Television reported, citing Sharif as saying.

- Imran 'fears for his life'

During the proceedings, Khan told the accountability court that he was fearful for his life.

"They give (you) an injection, and (you) slowly die," the ex-premier said during the proceedings of the Al Qadir Trust case.

Khan's lawyer, Khawaja Haris, argued that his client was illegally arrested as a proper method was not adopted to arrest him.

- Pakistan military reacts

In its first reaction to the ensuing protests, the Pakistani army on Wednesday said it has shown "maturity" and "restraint" in response to attacks on military installations, following the ex-premier's arrest.

"We are fully aware that a few miscreant party (Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf – PTI) leaders were behind this conspiracy, which aimed to compel the army to react," the military said in a rare statement.

It warned that any further attack on the state installations will no longer be tolerated.

"There will be a strong reaction (from army) in case of any further attack on state installations," it warned.

An Islamabad High Court ordered the arrest of Khan, 70, on Tuesday, sparking violent countrywide protests, while the anti-corruption court, also in the capital, separately indicted Khan on Wednesday in a case related to illegal purchases and sales of foreign gifts.

Khan's lawyers boycotted the hearing after the sitting judge refused to postpone his indictment in the trial, popularly known as the "Toshakhana case."

Khan pleaded not guilty in the trial.

Since his arrest on Tuesday, at least seven people were killed and dozens wounded in clashes between the protesting workers belonging to the PTI and police, according to officials.

The detainees included PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar, former Governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema of the northeastern Punjab province, several lawmakers, and second-tier party leaders.

The PTI on Wednesday called for nationwide protests and a shutdown, but distanced itself from violence, calling on the supporters to remain peaceful and gather outside police headquarters in Islamabad, where Khan has appeared before a judge.

While mobile internet and social media platforms remain restricted, schools were shut down in many parts of the country.

Protesters also stormed the building of Radio Pakistan in the northwestern city of Peshawar and ransacked its newsroom and various other sections.

The head of the state-run broadcaster Tahir Hassan told reporters that hundreds had stormed the building after breaking open the main entrance.

They set records and equipment on fire, he said, adding that this was the second attack on Radio Pakistan since Tuesday.

Earlier, PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the party had no information about Khan's whereabouts.

Khan's lawyer Faisal Chaudhry told reporters that he had no contact with his client.

The former prime minister was arrested while at the Islamabad High Court in one of the several dozen cases filed against him since his ouster last April. His party says the cases are politically motivated.

Since being removed from power after losing a vote of confidence, he has led a campaign for early elections, and accused the US, as well as the country's powerful military, of removing him from office.

Khan was arrested in connection with alleged corruption involving the Al Qadir University Trust.

It is alleged that the cricketer-turned-politician and his wife Bushra Bibi received billions of rupees and a large piece of costly land to build the educational institution in return for releasing an amount of £190 million ($239 million) to a property tycoon in 2020.

The amount was identified and returned to the country by the UK's National Crime Agency, following a settlement with real estate tycoon Malik Riaz in 2019.

The National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan's anti-corruption body, alleges that Khan’s PTI government struck a deal with Riaz that caused a loss of more than $239 million to the national exchequer, in a quid pro quo arrangement with the businessman.

Khan and his party leaders, however, deny the allegations.

* Riyaz ul Khaliq contributed to the story from Istanbul