Pakistani police clash with supporters of ousted leader

A Pakistani court on Wednesday ordered police to suspend their attempts to arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Security forces on Tuesday arrived at the 70-year-old leader’s home in eastern Pakistan’s Lahore, where they clashed with supporters of the ousted politician. Khan failed to appear in court last week on corruption charges. Khan said he had signed a surety bond that he will appear on March 18 in court at the capital of Islamabad.

Why is Khan being arrested? The former leader was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April before he was charged with terrorism and illegally selling state gifts from foreign dignitaries. Khan appeared before three courts in Islamabad last week but failed to appear before the fourth court to face indictment. He has denied wrongdoing and claims the cases against him are a plot by the current government to discredit him. In Pakistan’s 75-year history, no prime minister has ever completed a full term.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Sophia Lee’s report about Pakistani Christians who fled to Thailand to escape persecution by Islamic extremists.