On Tuesday, Rangers personnel from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a corruption case.
Prior to his appearance before the IHC bench to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader was taken into custody as part of the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) investigation in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Pakistan has seen several instances where former heads of state have been detained, making this not the first time. Therefore, here is a rundown of prime ministers who were arrested in various cases throughout the country’s history:
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
In January of 1962, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, who was the fifth prime minister of Pakistan, declined to support General Ayub Khan’s military coup. Consequently, he was apprehended on fabricated allegations of “anti-state activities.”
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
In September of 1977, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the esteemed ninth prime minister of Pakistan, was arrested under the accusations of plotting to assassinate a political rival in 1974. Sadly, he was given a death sentence, which was later carried out on April 4, 1979, thus marking a tragic end to his illustrious career.
Benazir Bhutto
In August of 1985, Benazir Bhutto, who was elected twice as the prime minister from 1988 to 1990 and later from 1993 to 1996, was detained and placed under house arrest for a period of 90 days.
The following year, in August 1986, she was arrested again for censuring the government during a rally in Karachi on the occasion of Independence Day, exhibiting her strong stance against oppression and injustice.
In April of 1999, Benazir Bhutto was given a sentence of five years in jail on the grounds of corruption, and she was also barred from holding public office, along with being fined a colossal sum of over £5 million.
In November of 2007, Benazir Bhutto was once again apprehended, this time for a duration of a week, in an effort to prevent her from spearheading a long march against General Musharraf’s administration.
Nawaz Sharif
In September of 2007, Nawaz Sharif, a prominent political leader, was exiled for a decade during General Pervez Musharraf’s regime. Upon his return to Pakistan, he was taken into custody and deported to Saudi Arabia to serve the remaining years of his banishment.
In July 2018, Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were given a sentence of 10 years each in prison on the charges of corruption. This verdict was a major setback to their political careers and left a significant impact on the political landscape of Pakistan.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
In July 2019, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a former Prime Minister of Pakistan, was taken into custody on charges of corruption related to the LNG case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Imran Khan
Moving forward to May of 2023, Imran Khan, who had also served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, was apprehended by Rangers personnel on NAB’s orders. He was accused of corruption in the Al-Qadir University Trust case.
