From captaining Pakistan's national team to its first World Cup victory in 1992 to leading protests and facing legal battles, here's a look at Imran Khan's career
In response to the escalating violence in Pakistan's Islamabad, the government has banned public gatherings while schools remain closed, and intercity travel has been heavily restricted
Once shy of public appearances, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's third wife, Bushra Bibi has now become the face of nationwide protests demanding his release from jail
There is a search operation ongoing and a large number of protesters who started a sit-in in Islamabad to demand Khan's release from jail have been arrested
Today, India condemned the arrest and denial of bail to ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh. Das, a vocal advocate for the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh, was detained on sedition charges.
Pakistan deployed the army amid a tense stand-off with Imran Khan's supporters
Naqvi, the interior minister, told reporters Monday, after attending the funeral for the policeman, that dozens of officers were injured in Islamabad, two of them in critical condition, and that
As thousands in Pakistan defied a crackdown to rally for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, the United States called on Pakistani authorities to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to ensure respect for the country's laws. At least one policeman was killed and dozens injured in clashes on Monday as thousands of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf protesters entered the territorial jurisdiction of the national capital on the call of the party founder Khan. The 72-year-old former premier, who has been in jail since August last year, issued a "final call" on November 13 for nationwide protests on November 24, denouncing what he termed as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he said has strengthened a "dictatorial regime". "In Pakistan and around the world, we support freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. We call on protesters to demonstrate peacefully and refrain from violence," State ...
The jailed leader called on supporters to protest until Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government agreed to release jailed party leaders
At least 18 people were killed and 30 others injured in sectarian violence in northwest Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the last 24 hours, police said. The clashes between the tribes of Alizai and Bagan in Kurram district bordering Afghanistan took place following Thursday's attack on a convoy of passenger vans in which 47 people were killed by militants. Gunfire is also continuing in Balishkhel, Khar Kali, Kunj Alizai and Maqbal. The tribes are targeting each other with heavy and automatic weapons. So far, 18 people have been killed and 30 injured in the clashes. Independent and media sources reported more than 30 deaths in the clashes. Homes and shops have also been damaged in the fighting. People from various villages have fled to safer locations. Due to the deteriorating situation, all educational institutions in the district remain closed on Saturday, confirmed Muhammad Hayat Hassan, chairman of the Private Education Network. Over 50 passenger vehicles were
Pakistan's finance and energy ministries are at loggerheads over meeting a key IMF condition to reduce gas supplies to industrial power plants by January, highlighting shortcomings in the negotiation of the USD 7 billion agreement. During a recent meeting at the prime minister's house, the Petroleum Division, a part of the energy ministry, claimed that the finance ministry accepted the condition despite its reservations at the time of the programme negotiations, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Saturday. The division further claimed that abrupt disconnection may cause a Rs 427-billion loss to the government and the industries. However, the finance ministry insisted that the Petroleum Division was fully on board at the time of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and was now changing its position. The development comes amid the energy ministry's assessment that the complete shifting of industries from gas to electricity would require about two ...
Driving the demand were households and factories producing everything from cement to apparel, who have suffered frequent blackouts in the past due to the unreliable grid
A mob ransacked and set fire to two police check points on Friday to protest the killing of nearly 50 people by militants in the restive province in northwest Pakistan. Heavily-armed militants on Thursday ambushed dozens of vehicles carrying passengers in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing around 50 people, mostly Shias, in one of the worst attacks in the region in recent years. Rescue authorities said around 50 people, including eight women and five children, were killed and 20 others injured in the attack while police initially confirmed 45 deaths. The toll was raised to 47 on Friday. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on passenger vans. On Friday, in response to the Thurday's killings, all markets and educational institutions in Parachinar remained closed even as enraged locals blocked the main road by burning tires. After a lot of protests, the crowd ransacked Bab-e-Kurram, an entry point to Baggan Main Bazar and burnt two police check points a
Twelve security personnel and six terrorists were killed as a suicide bomber rammed an explosive laden vehicle into a joint check post in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the army said on Wednesday. The terrorists attempted to attack a joint check post in general area MaliKhel in Bannu district late on Tuesday night but their attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted by troops, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Army's media wing, said. The suicide blast led to collapse of portion of perimeter wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, resulting in the death of 12 brave sons of soil including 10 soldiers of the security forces and two soldiers of the Frontier Constabulary, the ISPR said. In the ensuing fire exchange, six of them were killed too, it added. The injured persons have been shifted to a local hospital. Sanitisation operation was being conducted and a curfew was imposed in the area. Security forces and law enforcement agencies s
Gunmen opened fire on passenger vehicles carrying Shiite Muslim civilians in restive northwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 28 people, including six women, and wounding 30 others in one of the deadliest such attacks in recent years in the region, police said. The attack happened in Kurram, a district in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where sectarian clashes between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shiites have killed dozens of people in recent months. No one has claimed responsibility. The latest violence came a week after authorities reopened a key highway in the region after keeping it closed for weeks following deadly clashes. Local police official Azmat Ali said several vehicles carrying passengers were traveling in a convoy from the city of Parachinar to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when gunmen opened fire. He said the dead included six woman, and least 10 passengers were in a critical condition at a hospital. Pakistan's President As
The chances for the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan vanished after he was arrested in a protest case hours after getting bail in a case of alleged corruption, a media report said on Thursday. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday granted him bail in the second Toshakhana case related to the purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set at a throwaway price, igniting hopes of his release. However, hours later, Rawalpindi police arrested him late at night in connection with a case registered at New Town Police Station on terrorism and other charges. The police alleged that Khan, while imprisoned in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, had called for a protest in Rawalpindi on September 28. Dawn newspaper quoted a police spokesperson as saying that Khan had been detained in the case filed on September 28 and a team has been tasked to probe the charges. The charges include violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act, defying the government ban on public gatherings, obstructin
Pakistan decided to launch a comprehensive operation against militants in the southwestern province of Balochistan after a series of deadly attacks. The participants of the Federal Apex Committee of the National Action Plan on Tuesday approved a comprehensive military operation, said a statement. The target of the blitz would be the leading terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan including the Majeed Brigade, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and Balochistan Raaji Anjou-R-Sanger (BRAS) who targeted innocent civilians and foreign nationals to scuttle Pakistan's economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers. It was decided during a meeting headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by senior civil and military officials, including Army Chief General Asim Munir. The participants of the meeting, which focused on Reinvigorating Pakistan's Counter Terrorism (CT) Campaign, were briefed on the evolv
Describing terrorism as the biggest challenge, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday vowed to crush the terrorist elements for peace and progress of the country, which is struggling to deal with the increasing terror attacks. Addressing a meeting of the Apex Committee of the National Action Plan (NAP) at the Prime Minister House attended by all chief ministers, army chief and other services chiefs, heads of military and civilian intelligence agencies, ministers and high officials, Sharif voiced concerns over the uptick in terror attacks in bordering states. "Terrorism is the biggest challenge, he said, emphasising the scourge staring in the eyes of the civilian and military leadership. "We have no other choice but to crush the terrorist elements for peace and progress of the country," he said, adding that national reconciliation, progress and economic development were not possible without crushing evil. Speaking at the meeting, Army Chief General Asim Munir said that anyon
At least nine militants and eight security personnel were killed in bloody clashes during an anti-terror operation in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late on Monday, sources said. Two "important" commanders of the Lashkar-e-Islam terror outfit were also eliminated in the intelligence-based operation against a high-value target conducted in the Tirah Maidan valley of Khyber district, they said. Seven security personnel and six militants were also injured in the operation. Troops were engaged at three points in the district during the operation that lasted several hours. Local sources said some residents of nearby areas were also injured.
US President-elect Donald Trump has no personal relationship with former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, a prominent Pakistani-American businessman and Trump backer has said. Sajid Tarar, who heads the Muslims for Trump organisation, also said that Trump -- who won the US presidential election for a second term in one of the most remarkable comebacks in American electoral history -- would strengthen ties with India and keep a close watch on allegations of human rights violations in Bangladesh. "A perception is being created by a particular party in Pakistan that he (Khan) has a personal relationship with Donald Trump. This is not true. It's a fact that, as president, Trump had invited Khan to the White House as the prime minister of Pakistan," Tarar told PTI in an interview. Trump will "not interfere" in the internal affairs of Pakistan or its judiciary to get Khan out of jail, he asserted. "He (Trump) may have a soft corner (for Khan)," he said. Khan was arrested last year af