UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called for an end to the violence that has continued across parts of Pakistan, following the arrest of former Prime Minister, Imran Khan.
Khan pleaded not guilty to corruption charges on Wednesday, appearing before a judge at a police guest house, which also served as a court room, according to local news reports.
His appearance there, reportedly coincided with an indictment by the High Court in Islamabad, in a separate corruption case brought by the Election Commission, involving allegations that he sold millions of dollars-worth of State gifts; charges which the former premier and cricket star, has vehemently denied.
If convicted, Khan would be disqualified from standing for office, with elections due later this year.
Tuesday’s arrest was carried out by dozens of security officers, who forcibly removed him from court, into a police vehicle, sparking widespread protests from his supporters.
News reports say that around 1,000 people have been arrested nationwide and eight have died during the protests, with hundreds injured. As protests continued, mobile internet services and access to social media was down, while schools and universities in Punjab – Pakistan’s most populous state – were closed.
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, the UN Chief took note of the ongoing protests, and called “for all parties to refrain from violence.”
Guterres “calls for all parties to refrain from violence. He stresses the need to respect the right to peaceful assembly”, the short statement read.
The UN chief also urged the authorities “to respect due process and the rule of law in proceedings brought against former Prime Minister Khan.”
Khan, who served as Prime Minister for four years from 2018, was remanded in custody for eight days, in connection with other charges relating to an alleged illegal transfer of land.
It is alleged that he received billions of rupees and a large piece of land to build a tertiary education institution in return for releasing an amount of £190 million to a property tycoon in 2020.
His political party, the PTI, said that he had not been given access to legal counsel, and pledged to challenge the legality of his arrest in court.
