I think despite his hero image, Imran Khan has serious problems … he was making statements that alienated a lot of people."

Khan’s lawyer, Khawaja Harris, said he had requested that the hearing took place in a public court rather than behind closed doors in the police station, and he had not received the NAB’s inquiry report on the case. “Everyone has the right to a fair trial,” he said. Speaking outside the police station, he claimed Khan had not been given food or a bed to sleep on overnight in the police cell where he was being held. Because in Pakistan, governance not only means you manage the political forces, but you also deal with powerful state institutions like the army." Across the country, violence continued after Khan’s arrest. At least four people were shot dead and 84 were injured after clashes broke out between protesters and police in the city of Peshawar, according to a local hospital. Vehicles were torched and the building of Radio Pakistan was set alight. Another person died from smoke inhalation after a building was set ablaze in Lahore.Two weeks ago, the special court had rejected the post-arrest bail applications of Imran and Qureshi, noting that “sufficient incriminating evidence is available” against them. Tehreek-e-Insaf activists attempt to escape teargas fired by police during protests in Peshawar on Wednesday against the arrest of Imran Khan. Photograph: Fayaz Aziz/Reuters He was being propped up by members of parliament from other parties, and they switched sides and that's what made the difference," Mr Qureshi says.

Khan’s arrest is the latest twist in a political and economic crisis that pits the popular former prime minister against the military and the government, led by his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, who Khan alleges conspired to remove him from power and make threats on his life, charges they deny.

Top T-Shirts Designs:

The tension between the prime minister and the military might have given Mr Khan's opponents an opportunity to pounce, according to Omar Qureshi, former media adviser to one of the leaders of Mr Khan's rival parties, Billawal Bhutto. But Islamic militancy rose in Pakistan during Mr Khan's reign and he was widely criticised for calling Osama Bin Laden a martyr in 2020.