Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan appears in court after arrest

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared in court on Wednesday in Islamabad for a hearing, after he was arrested by paramilitary forces on Tuesday leading to widespread and deadly protests across the country, Al Jazeera reports.

The judge is expected to rule on a request by authorities to hold the 70-year-old for 14-days in detention.

Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, since protests erupted on Tuesday. At least two people have died in the protests.

The Pakistani rupee fell 1.3 percent to a record low of 288.5 against the U.S. dollar, a day after opposition leader Khan was arrested.

Former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn calls Khan’s arrest a “dark day for democracy”.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has issued a directive to internet service providers for Facebook-owned Instagram to be included in the list of social media blocked in the country.

Khanhas been arrestedin connection with alleged corruption involving the Al-Qadir University Trust, headed by the opposition leader and his wife Bushra Bibi, during a court appearance related to a separate case, in the capital Islamabad.