Pakistani authorities arrested a senior leader in the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan today, Thursday, as the government deployed the army to help control violent unrest sparked by Khan's arrest three days ago. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who served as Foreign Minister in Khan's government, was apprehended overnight.
Additionally, authorities arrested two other prominent leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, on Wednesday.
On the same day, the federal government approved requests from the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, both strongholds of Khan's supporters, as well as from the capital Islamabad, to deploy military forces to restore order.
Islamabad police reported today that the troops have arrived in the capital.
The violence erupted following Khan's arrest by the Anti-Corruption Bureau last Tuesday, exacerbating unrest in a country of 220 million people currently grappling with a severe economic crisis and delays in a rescue package from the International Monetary Fund since November.
Protesters stormed military buildings and looted the residence of a senior general in the eastern city of Lahore. Other government buildings were also attacked and set on fire. At least five people have been killed in the violence.
