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Transcript/ScriptPakistan Khan
HEADLINE: Arrest of Pakistan’s Former Prime Minister Further Plunges Country Into Political Chaos
TEASER: In an unprecedented show of defiance, Khan's supporters targeted anger at the powerful military.
PUBLISHED AT: 05/09/2023 at 520p
BYLINE: Sarah Zaman
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Islamabad, Pakistan
VIDEOGRAPHER: Salman Idrees Qazi, Naveed Naseem, Zia Ur Rehman, Malik Waqar Ahmed, Asim Rana
VIDEO EDITOR: Malik Waqar Ahmed
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS sv
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original, AFP, courtesy
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X__ RADIO __
TRT: 2:16
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:
((INTRO))
Pakistan is on edge after paramilitary forces arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan on corruption charges on Tuesday. Since Khan's ouster last year, the country has been mired in political instability and some fear the chaos may grow worse as Khan supporters target their anger at the powerful military. VOA’s Sarah Zaman has more from Islamabad.
((NARRATION))
An army commander’s residence vandalized, military vehicles pelted with stones, angry protestors in the street.
Tensions are high in Pakistan after paramilitary forces
((COURTESY: PTI))
took former Prime Minister Imran Khan into custody on corruption charges on Tuesday.
Khan was at the high court complex in Islamabad to seek a bail extension in a number of cases when Rangers' personnel broke into the room where court officials
((end courtesy))
were taking his biometric data.
Paramilitary forces hauled Khan away without his wheelchair. The cricket star-turned politician is recovering from a leg injury suffered in an assassination attempt last November.
Soon after the arrest, demonstrations broke out across major Pakistani cities.
((Qaiser Mirdad Khan, Imran Khan Supporter)) ((Male, Urdu, Reuters))
"We were not even expecting that they would arrest Khan, such a great leader of Pakistan, such a dearly loved leader. We had not even thought that they would cross that red line. I personally feel that we have to come out in every street, every alley, every town."
((NARRATION))
Khan accuses Pakistan’s powerful army and intelligence agency of being behind his political troubles and threats to his life. Khan’s supporters back his allegations, despite denials from the military.
In a remarkable show of anger, Khan’s supporters in the eastern city of Lahore ransacked the house of the regional military Corp commander.
((Khan’s Supporter)) [no name] ((Female, Urdu)) ((VOA Orig.))
“These items are from my tax money. They were in a house that also belongs to us, so I have taken things out of my house.”
((NARRATION))
As protesters and police clashed across Pakistan, reports of injuries emerged on both sides.
Since his ouster, Khan has faced dozens of cases of alleged corruption, treason, and terrorism. He denies the charges.
The former prime minister was arrested in a corruption case on a warrant issued by the National Accountability Bureau, an autonomous anti-corruption body.
Pakistan plunged into political chaos April last year when Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence less than four years into a five-year term.
The arrest of the popular political leader has further raised fears that the nuclear-armed country of nearly 230 million people will plunge even further into chaos.
((Sarah Zaman, VOA News, Islamabad))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Islamabad, Pakistan
Embargo DateMay 9, 2023 18:59 EDT
Byline
Sarah Zaman, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
