Thursday 30 / April / 2026
Islamabad: A court in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday remanded former Prime Minister Imran Khan in custody for eight days.
As the country's most popular opposition figure since he lost power last year, Khan's arrest has deepened political turmoil and sparked violent demonstrations.
The 70-year-old politician was facing corruption charges as he appeared in a special court at Islamabad's police headquarters, local media reported.
Khan was indicted on claims that he unlawfully sold state gifts while in office from 2018 to 2022.
Khan, who denies any wrongdoing, had been slated to appear for two hearings on Wednesday, local broadcaster Geo News reported. The other hearing concerns a corruption case related to property.
Lawyers for Khan said the National Accountability Bureau, which ordered Khan's arrest, asked the judge to remand him in custody for at least 10 days.
The hearings came a day after his arrest prompted a wave of violent protest across the country with police announcing that they had arrested hundreds of his supporters. At least two provinces have asked Pakistan's federal government to deploy troops to restore order.
Pakistan's government insisted that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had planned the unrest, with Khan's supporters attacking important state buildings and damaging private and public vehicles.
Police said they had arrested 945 of his supporters in Punjab province alone after protesters torched 25 police vehicles and more than 14 government buildings.
"This can't be tolerated, the law will take its course," Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said in a news conference. "These violent attacks were not the outcome of any public outpouring, they were planned by the PTI rank and file."
What are the allegations about gifts?
The "Toshakhana" gift-selling case is one of several legal battles that the former international cricket star and his populist center-right party are facing. It hinges on a government department known as the Toshakhana, which refers to Mughal-era treasure houses kept by royal rulers to store and display gifts bestowed on them.
Although government officials have to declare all gifts, they are allowed to keep those below a certain value and, in some cases, they can buy back more expensive presents at a discount.
Khan and his wife received lavish gifts worth millions during foreign trips, including luxury watches, jewelry, designer handbags, and perfumes. The former prime minister is alleged to have failed to declare some of the presents, or the profit made from selling them.
The Election Commission of Pakistan has already barred Khan from holding public office until the next election because of the claims that he sold the presents. Successive governments in Pakistan have previously targeted political opponents by filing legal cases against them to keep them away from politics. Khan and his supporters claim the proceedings are politically motivated.
Khan — ousted in a no-confidence vote in April last year — has attempted to disrupt Pakistan's politics since he was toppled, ordering all lawmakers from his PTI to give up their seats in the National Assembly.
