Ajit Karn
Tilak Devasher, a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and security expert, stated that India must be “vigilant” in the aftermath of the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, as the PTI will attempt to “divert attention” from events in Pakistan.
In an exclusive interview ,Tilak Devasher made the above comments hours after Imran Khan was detained in Pakistan by Rangers outside the Islamabad High Court on a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) warrant in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
“I believe that what transpires in Pakistan in the next week, next few days, or next week will determine what happens in Pakistan for at least the next couple of months,” he added.
The NSAB agent also referred to Khan’s detention as a significant development in Pakistan, stating, “This is something that has been anticipated for quite some time. Even though they had an arrest warrant, the police attempted to apprehend him in Zaman Park a couple of months ago. But his supporters refused to let the police in, and the police retreated.”
The defence expert responded to a second query about the political future of Imran Khan and the PTI party by stating, “You see, now everything depends. Now that he has been apprehended, the case is proceeding. Does the case provide him with relief? Is the case thrown out? Will they use this to prevent him from running for office?”
“If this occurs, it would be a significant blow to the PTI, as what is the PTI without Imran Khan? Without Imran Khan, the party will be unable to perform well in upcoming or future elections. This is a significant, significant development. We will have to observe how this case actually develops. Does he receive bail, and as a result of his detention, is he disqualified by the election commission?”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court deemed Imran Khan’s detention to be “legal,” as reported by Geo News.
When asked if there will be widespread outrage in Pakistan given the PTI’s claims that Imran Khan was abducted by Rangers, Devasher responded, “You see, regardless of how he was arrested, there will be an outcry in Pakistan due to his popularity and his supporters in all the provinces. It will be in the PTI’s best interest to claim that he was abducted and beaten.”
He also explained that the Rangers did so in an effort to swiftly remove him in order to prevent pandemonium among his supporters.
“However, whether it was true or not, if the Rangers had a valid arrest warrant issued by a court, he is immediately apprehended. And I believe the Rangers’ objective was to swiftly remove him before the masses gathered and prevented his removal. Therefore, I believe that is less significant than the fact that he has been apprehended. This will inevitably result in outrage and clamor throughout Pakistan,” the defense expert added.
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Imran Khan was detained outside the IHC on Tuesday afternoon by a group of Ranger personnel. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has termed Khan’s detention a fascist act and called on its supporters to take to the streets in large numbers to express their outrage over the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
