Pakistan braced for more turmoil a day after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was dragged from court in Islamabad and his supporters clashed with police across the country. The 70-year-old opposition leader appeared in court Wednesday for a hearing in which a judge was asked to approve keeping him in custody for up to 14 days. Khan, who lost power last year but remains the country's most popular opposition figure, is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan. His arrest deepened political turmoil and sparked violent demonstrations on Tuesday. At least one person was killed in the southwestern city of Quetta, and dozens were wounded in various parts of the country. The judge is expected to rule on the request for a 14-day detention later on Wednesday, officials said. Khan earlier in the day met with his legal team at the court in the capital, Islamabad. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called for demonstrators to remain peaceful, hours after mobs angered over the dramatic arrest set fire to the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore. Khan was appearing in court on multiple graft charges brought by Islamabad police Tuesday, when dozens of agents from the National Accountability Bureau backed by paramilitary troops stormed the courtroom, breaking windows after Khan's guards refused to open the door. Khan’s supporters attacked the military’s headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital, Islamabad, but did not reach the main building housing the offices of army chief Gen. Asim Munir. Other demonstrators tried to reach the prime minister's residence in Lahore, but were driven off by baton-wielding in police. Others attacked vehicles carrying troops and hit armed soldiers with sticks. So far, police and soldiers have not fired at protesters. The military has not commented on the attacks on its facilities. A police statement Wednesday said officers in eastern Punjab province have arrested 945 Khan supporters since Tuesday — including Asad Umar, a senior leader from Khan's party. Dozens of Khan supporters were also detained in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and elsewhere. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, senior vice president from Khan’s party, appealed for peaceful demonstrations Wednesday, urging followers: “Don’t damage public property, don’t attack offices, as we are peace lovers.” He said the party is considering challenging Khan's arrest in the Supreme Court. On Wednesday morning, police said that at least 2,000 protesters still surrounded the fire-damaged residence in Lahore of Lt. Gen. Salman Fayyaz Ghani, a top regional commander. They chanted slogans at the military, including “Khan is our red line and you have crossed it.” Ghani and his family members were moved to a safer place when the mob on Tuesday first attacked their sprawling house. Police deployed in force across the country, and placed shipping containers on a road leading to the sprawling police compound in Islamabad where Khan is being held. Khan will appear before a judge in the same compound later today, in a temporary court placed there for security reasons, according to a notice from the government. Babar Awan, a lawyer for Khan, said that he is trying to get to the courtroom. Amid violence, Pakistan Pakistan’s telecommunication authority on Tuesday blocked social media, including Twitter. The government also suspended internet service in the capital of Islamabad and other cities. Classes at some private schools were canceled for Wednesday. Rights group Amnesty International said it was alarmed by reports of Pakistani authorities blocking access to mobile internet networks and social media. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are suspended in the country for a second day. The group has urged authorities to show restraint, saying clashes between law enforcement and Khan’s supporters risk human rights violations. The National Accountability Bureau has detained and investigated former officials, including former prime ministers, politicians and retired military officers. But some view the NAB as a tool used by those in power, especially the military, to crack down on political opponents. When Khan was in power, his government arrested Sharif, then the opposition leader, through the NAB. Sharif was facing multiple corruption cases when he managed to oust Khan in a 2022 no-confidence vote. The charges were later dropped, citing a lack of evidence. The current prime minister’s brother, Nawaz Sharif, who also served as prime minister, was arrested several times on corruption allegations. In March, police stormed Khan’s Lahore residence, seeking to arrest him in a corruption case related to hiding income from the sale of official gifts. Dozens of people, including police, were injured in ensuing clashes. Khan was not arrested at the time and later obtained bail. As violence spread Wednesday, diplomats from various countries and common people in Pakistan stayed home. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad canceled all its Wednesday consular appointments following Khan’s arrest and issued a nationwide alert, telling Americans to review their personal security plans and avoid large crowds.

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested Tuesday as he appeared in court to face charges in multiple graft cases, a dramatic escalation of political tensions in the country that sparked demonstrations by his supporters in at least three cities. Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 but remains the leading opposition figure, was dragged from the Islamabad High Court by security agents from the National Accountability Bureau, said Fawad Chaudhry, a senior official with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Khan was shoved into an armored car and whisked away. Chaudhry denounced the arrest of the 71-year-old former cricket star as “an abduction.” Pakistan’s independent GEO TV broadcast video of Khan being hauled away. Afterward, a scuffle broke out between Khan’s supporters and police outside the court. Some of Khan’s lawyers and supporters were injured in the melee, as were several police, Chaudhry said. Khan’s party complained to the court, which requested a police report explaining the charges for Khan’s arrest. Also Read: Pakistan: Police storm Imran Khan home in Lahore, arrest 61 Khan was taken to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, for questioning at the offices of the National Accountability Bureau, according to police and government officials. He also was to undergo a routine medical checkup, police said. Khan had arrived at the Islamabad High Court from nearby Lahore, where he lives, to face charges in the graft cases. He has denounced the cases against him, which include terrorism charges, as a politically motivated plot by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, saying his ouster was illegal and a Western conspiracy. Khan has campaigned against Sharif and demanded early elections. Tuesday’s arrest was based on a a new warrant from the National Accountability Bureau obtained last week in a separate graft case for which Khan had not obtained bail, making him vulnerable to arrest. He is scheduled to appear before an anti-graft tribunal on Wednesday, officials said. “Imran Khan has been arrested because he was being sought in a graft case,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told a news conference. He alleged Pakistan’s treasury had lost millions of dollars while Khan was in office due to illegal purchases of lands from a business tycoon. As the news of the arrest spread, about 4,000 of Khan’s supporters stormed the official residence of the top regional commander in Lahore, smashing windows and doors, damaging furniture and staging a sit-in as troops there retreated to avoid violence. The protesters also burned police vehicles and blocked key roads.. Protesters also smashed the main gate of the army’s headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where troops exercised restraint. Hundreds of demonstrators shouted pro-Khan slogans as they moved toward the sprawling building. In the port city of Karachi, police swung batons and fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Khan supporters who had gathered on a key road. Raoof Hasan, another leader from Khan’s party, told Al Jazeera English television that the arrest is “blatant interference in the judicial affairs by the powers-that-be.” Hasan added that Khan “was virtually abducted from the court of law.” Khan’s arrest came hours after he issued a video message before heading to Islamabad, saying he was “mentally prepared” for arrest there. Also Read: Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan no-show in court, avoids arrest Khan was wounded by a gunman at a rally in November, an attack that killed one of his supporters and wounded 13. He has insisted, without offering any evidence, that there is a plot to assassinate him, alleging that Pakistan’s spy agency was behind the conspiracy. The gunman was immediately arrested and police later released a video of him in custody, allegedly saying he had acted alone. In a strongly worded statement Monday, the military accused Khan of “fabricated and malicious allegations” of its involvement in the November shooting, saying they are “extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable.” Also Read: More clashes in Pakistan as police try to arrest Imran Khan The military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of the 75 years since the country gained independence from British colonial rule, and wields considerable power over civilian governments. Sharif, whose government faces spiraling economic woes and is struggling to recover from last year’s devastating floods that killed hundreds and caused $30 billion in damage, slammed Khan for assailing the military. “Let this be abundantly clear that you, as former prime minister, currently on trial for corruption, are claiming legitimacy to overturn the legal and political system,” Sharif tweeted after Khan’s arrest. Khan is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was arrested and hanged in 1979. The current prime minister’s brother, Nawaz Sharif, who also served as prime minister, was arrested several times on corruption allegations. In March, police stormed Khan’s Lahore residence, seeking to arrest him based on a court order in a different case. Dozens of people, including police, were injured in ensuing clashes. Khan was not arrested at the time and later obtained bail in the case. Khan came to power in 2018 after winning parliamentary elections and had initially good relations with the military which gradually soured.  

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Sunday warned its staff of a possible attack on Americans at a top hotel in Pakistan's capital as the city was already on high alert following a suicide bombing earlier in the week. The U.S. government is aware of information that “unknown individuals are possibly plotting to attack Americans at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad sometime during the holidays," the embassy said in a security alert. The advisory banned its American personnel from visiting the popular hotel over the holidays. Read more: Afghan forces shell border town, killing 6: Pakistani army The U.S. mission also urged all personnel to refrain from non-essential travel in Islamabad during the holiday season. The embassy directive came two days after a suicide bombing in a residential area of the capital killed a police officer and wounded ten others. The explosion happened when police stopped a taxi for inspection during a patrol. According to the police, a rear seat passenger detonated explosives he was carrying, blowing up the vehicle. Militants with the Pakistani Taliban, who are separate from but allied with Afghanistan's rulers, later claimed the attack. Read more: Pakistan launches operation to free officers held by Taliban Islamabad's administration has since put the city on high alert, banning public gatherings and processions, even as campaigns are ongoing for upcoming local elections. Police have stepped up patrols and established snap checkpoints to inspect vehicles across the city. A suicide bombing targeted the capital's Marriott Hotel in September 2008, in one of the deadliest such incidents in the capital. Attackers drove a dump truck up to the hotel's gates before detonating it, killing 63 people and wounding over 250 others.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday invited  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit his country as the two leaders met in London during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth ll. “Pakistan prime minister several times invited our prime minister to visit Pakistan,”  Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem  reporters. Read: Govt commits to strengthening social services workforce for protection of children Bangladesh prime minister also briefly spoke with several world leaders, including Indian President Droupadi Murmu. Hasina also held long discussion with former British prime minister David Cameron. Cameron expresed interesr to visit Bangladesh, Muna said.  

Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Ahmed Siddiqui has said his country wants to boost ties with Bangladesh by exploring untapped potential and reviving all the old connections saying Pakistan can benefit from Bangladesh’s development.

The No. 11 batsman Mohammad Musa snatched a one-wicket win for Islamabad United against Lahore Qalandars with one ball left, and defending champion Quetta Gladiators survived an early batting collapse to beat Karachi Kings by five wickets, in Pakistan Super League matches on Sunday.

Former champions Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi earned their first victories in the Pakistan Super League on Saturday.

Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad celebrated the symbolic launch of countdown of birth centenary celebration and Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Friday with due solemnity.

Bangladesh high commissions in Islamabad and New Delhi, Deputy High-Commission in Kolkata and embassy in Hanoi celebrated the inauguration of the countdown for celebrating the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.