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ISLAMABAD, May 18 (Reuters) - Pakistan's powerful anti-corruption agency has summoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan for questioning on Thursday into the graft charges that led to his arrest on May 9. It was not clear if Khan, who denies the charges, would heed the summons. A spokesman for Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was not immediately available for a comment. The Supreme Court ordered Khan's release on bail last Friday, and another court on Wednesday extended his protective bail until May 31. Punjab's information minister Amir Mir said the government did not have any plans to arrest Khan as he had been given bail by court.

He said Khan had 24 hours to surrender the suspects, and that a police operation would be launched if he did not comply. The arrest of the former prime minister, who was ousted in a parliamentary confidence vote in April last year, has deepened political instability in the South Asian nation of 220 million. Thousands of Khan supporters had attacked and set on fire scores of government and public buildings, including the army's headquarters, following his arrest. Khan has previously disowned those involved in arson and attacks against the army, demanding an impartial inquiry. The military has said the May 9 attacks against the army were "pre-planned" and ordered by Khan party's leaders, which he and his party deny.

[1/2] Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are covered with a white sheet as they arrive to appear at the High Court in Lahore, Pakistan, May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin RazaISLAMABAD, May 16 (Reuters) - Bushra Khan, the wife of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is facing corruption charges in the same case that led to his arrest on May 9. It was not clear when or how Khan met Bushra, but former aide Aun Chaudhry said Khan was very impressed with her spirituality. Khan and Bushra married in 2018, seven months before he was elected prime minister, in a secret ceremony. While prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events, and the couple are the sole trustees, according to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

☆ Pakistan court grants bail to former PM Imran Khan's wife in graft case - lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Mubasher Bukhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAHORE, Pakistan, May 15 (Reuters) - A Pakistani court in the eastern city of Lahore on Monday granted bail until May 23 to former Prime Minister Imran Khan's wife in a graft case, a lawyer in their legal team said. He was later released and received bail from a court in Islamabad for two weeks. Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, was co-accused along with Khan in the case, which pertained to the alleged receiving of financial help from a land developer in the setting-up of Al Qadir University of which the former premier and his spouse are trustees. "We had requested for a protective bail for Bushra Bibi in Al Qadir Trust Case and a two-judge bench of LHC has granted the bail till May 23," Bibi's lawyer, Intizar Hussain Panjutha, told Reuters. The government denies being behind the case and says the anti-graft agency, the National Accountability Bureau, is working independently.

KARACHI, Pakistan, May 13 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday gave authorities 72 hours to identify and arrest all those involved in violent acts after former Prime Minister Imran Khan's arrest this week sparked deadly unrest. Khan departed court premises late Friday night and headed towards his hometown Lahore amid high security, after a court granted him bail. Following Sharif's announcement, Punjab's government released pictures of unidentified protesters involved in an attack on a military official's residence on Wednesday. Khan, 70, is a cricket star-turned-politician who was ousted as prime minister in April 2022 in a parliamentary no-confidence vote and Pakistan's most popular leader according to opinion polls. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were inaccessible in Pakistan on Saturday, Reuters journalists said, after access was briefly restored late on Friday.

He had remained inside for hours after being granted bail, saying he was not being allowed to leave by security officials. It's not the security agencies, it's one man – the army chief," he said, without naming him. He has since been a vocal critic of current army chief General Asim Munir. [1/7] Security officers escort Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as he appeared in Islamabad High Court, Islamabad, Pakistan May 12, 2023. "The Islamabad High Court has given a two-week bail and also ordered the (anti-graft body) not to arrest Imran Khan during this period," another of Khan's lawyers, Faisal Chaudhry, told Reuters.

☆ Pakistan arrests ex-PM Khan's party leaders as protests continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pakistan's Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi speaks with the media after the proceedings at the Supreme Court in Islamabad, Pakistan April 4, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroISLAMABAD, May 11 (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities arrested a senior leader of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party on Thursday as the government deployed the army to help end deadly unrest sparked by Khan's arrest three days ago. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who served as foreign minister in Imran Khan's cabinet during his four year premiership, was arrested overnight, a statement on his Twitter profile said. Two other senior leader of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, were also arrested on Wednesday. Police have arrested more than 1,300 protesters in Khan's home province of Punjab for violence.

☆ Supporters of Pakistan ex-PM Khan plan march to capital to protest arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday by Pakistan's anti-corruption agency. Police said a court hearing would take place at the police guest house where he is being held. Supporters in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were asked to gather early on Wednesday in Swabi city to leave for Islamabad as part of a convoy, the party wrote on Twitter. Party leaders asked workers to continue protests but not take the "law in their hands", according to messages shared on Twitter by on Wednesday. Reporting by Gibran Peshimam and Shivam Patel; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

May 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan's anti-graft watchdog arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan at Islamabad High Court on Tuesday, in a dramatic move that threatens fresh turmoil in the nuclear-armed country. You won't get any other opportunity," the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party wrote on Twitter. In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled for November. Previous attempts to arrest Khan from his Lahore home resulted in heavy clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel. Political infighting is common in Pakistan, where no prime minister has yet fulfilled a full term and where the military has ruled for nearly half of the country's history.

☆ Imran Khan, Former Pakistan Prime Minister, arrested
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested by paramilitary troops in Islamabad on charges brought by the country’s anti-corruption agency, according to court documents seen CNN. In the video, paramilitary forces attacked Islamabad High Court premises before arresting Khan. A video sent to CNN by PTI showed paramilitary troops piling out of cars and holding batons before the arrest. “[The government], they’re petrified that if I come into power, I will hold them accountable,” Khan told CNN during the unrest outside his residence in March . “They also know that even if I go to jail, we will swing the elections no matter what they do.”

☆ I left Miami for a remote village in Pakistan. I have no running hot water and limited electricity — but my quality of life here is infinitely better.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Samantha Shea | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

She moved to Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan in 2021, where she's lived ever since. I live in Hunza Valley, 8,500 feet above sea level on the border with Western China, where I work as a digital nomad. A drone shot of Hunza Valley in early May. A Hunza Valley local drying apricots. Though my solo journey to Pakistan started as a trip, Hunza Valley is now my home.

☆ Imran Khan, the cricket star who ditched playboy image to rule Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Pakistan security forces guard a vehicle carrying former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his arrest at a court in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 9, 2023. REUTERS/StringerMay 9 (Reuters) - Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a cricketing hero-turned-politician who was arrested on Tuesday, whipped up popular support amid decades-high inflation and a crippling economic slowdown before his ouster last year. Khan had for months averted arrest in a number of cases registered against him that include charges of instigating crowds to violence. His rise to power in 2018 came over two decades after he first launched his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice party, in 1996. Once in power, Khan embarked on his plan of building a "welfare" state modelled on what he said was an ideal system dating back to the Islamic world some 14 centuries earlier.

☆ Yasmeen Lari, ‘starchitect’ turned social engineer, wins one of architecture’s most coveted prizes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Nicole Mowbray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Yasmeen Lari, widely recognised as Pakistan’s first female architect, has become the first woman since Zaha Hadid to win the prestigious Royal Gold Medal, awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Lari created the Zero Carbon Cultural Centre in 2011. The Pakistan State Oil Head Office in Karachi (shown here in 1984) was designed by Lari. RIBA President Simon Allford said, “Lari’s mission during her ‘second’ career has empowered the people of Pakistan through architecture, engaging users in design and production. “It’s about seeing how you can help build communities.”Top image: Yasmeen Lari at the Zero Carbon Women Center on Bamboo Stilts in Pakistan, 2011.

[1/5] People look at handbags on display outside shops in a market, ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Karachi, Pakistan April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroKARACHI, Pakistan, April 20 (Reuters) - Retail sales in Pakistan have witnessed a sharp drop compared to previous years in the run up to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, retailers say, as shoppers feel the pinch of decades-high inflation. The lead up to Eid al-Fitr, expected to fall on Saturday in Pakistan to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, traditionally sees the highest sales of the year. Asfandyar Farrukh, co-founder of CAP and managing director of Hub, a leather goods store, said that Eid shopping appears to have started sooner and peaked earlier, coinciding with salary pay days, and customers anticipating price increases. The sales drop adds to the slowing of Pakistan's $350 billion economy, which has struggled in recent months amidst tough stabilisation polices, including the central bank raising interest rates to a historic high of 21%.

☆ Pollution choking Thailand's north hits tourism, worries public
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHIANG MAI, Thailand, April 10 (Reuters) - High pollution levels in Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces are keeping tourists away and alarming locals, with the government on Monday urging residents to avoid outdoor activities. For several weeks last month the city was at the top of air quality information platform IQAir's global chart on poor air quality, ahead of Lahore and New Delhi. That is far short of the 80% to 90% expected ahead of this week's Thai New Year holidays, known as Songkran. Addressing the deteriorating air quality in the north, Thailand's health ministry urged the public on Monday to avoid outdoor activities and wear masks that can filter particles. Chiang Mai resident Pathsharasakon Po, 36, said she was concerned about allergies, or even cancer.

☆ Pakistan court orders provincial votes in win for ex-PM Khan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. But the Supreme Court ruled that the delay was illegal and voting in the two provinces should be held between April 30 and May 15. It said the provincial assembly election in Punjab, Pakistan's most prosperous and politically important province should be on May 14. The court also ordered the government to release 21 billion rupees ($73.17 million) to the election commission to organise the two provincial elections. Parliament last week introduced a draft law to clip the powers of the Supreme Court.

[1/3] People gather to receive sacks of free flour, at a distribution point in Peshawar, Pakistan March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz AzizLAHORE/PESHAWAR, Pakistan, March 30 (Reuters) - At least five people have been killed in recent weeks and more injured in Pakistan in stampedes at sites distributing free flour under a government-backed scheme to help families struggling with soaring costs of basic staples. The Pakistani government has launched the flour distribution programme to reach millions of families in need during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan that began last week. Another person was killed in a stampede at a distribution centre last week in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province according to records shared by the provincial food authority. "There were some unfortunate incidents of stampedes and looting," Khan Ghalib, an official at the provincial food department said.

☆ Pakistani parliament's ruling sought over ex-PM Khan's party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAHORE, Pakistan, March 22 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday sought a parliament ruling to empower authorities to tackle former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party's alleged involvement in violence. The ruling was asked for in a joint session of parliament convened over the instability caused by the crisis over Khan. The minister requested the house give "guidance" to the government about the violence stoked by Khan's supporters, who he said included "miscreants, armed groups, and terrorists". "It is required that the security forces should be given authority and other measures to deal with this issue," he said, adding that Khan's agenda is "chaos and anarchy." The government has alleged that Khan's supporters had militants among them and ministers have called for proscribing Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

[1/2] A supporter of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, walks with a riot shield used by the police, during a clash outside the federal judicial complex in Islamabad, Pakistan March 18, 2023. "Around 285 PTI supporters have been arrested in Lahore and Islamabad. Khan, a former cricket star, was prime minister from 2018 until 2022, when he was ousted from office in a parliamentary vote. His successor as prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has rejected his demand and said an election would be held as scheduled later this year. Clashes between Khan's supporters and the security forces have brought a new round of political chaos to Pakistan, which is in the midst of a crippling economic crisis.

☆ Former Pakistan PM Khan requests virtual court appearance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsFormer Pakistan PM Khan requests virtual court appearancePostedFormer Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked the chief justice of Pakistan to allow him to appear for court proceedings virtually to reduce the risk of any threat to his life, he said in a video message on Monday (March 20), as his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party prepared for a rally in Lahore on Wednesday (March 22).

[1/2] Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, waves from the vehicle as he leaves from Lahore to appear before Islamabad High Court, in Lahore, Pakistan March 18, 2023. 'GOVT INTENDS TO ARREST ME'The court has previously issued arrest warrants for Khan in the case as he had failed to appear on previous hearings despite summons. On his assurance that he would appear on Saturday, the court granted Khan protection against arrest, but he said he feared the police and government planned to take him into custody. There were reports of fresh clashes between police and supporters of Khan and his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Lahore. (This story has been corrected to show Khan is to appear in court, not appearing in court, in the headline.

☆ Exclusive: Pakistan's Imran Khan: committee to lead party if I'm arrested
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has denied being behind the cases. Khan said there is no reason he should be arrested now, because he had bail on all his cases. The police attempt to arrest Khan led to clashes in which dozens of people were injured. The former prime minister has generated popular support among Pakistanis amid decades-high inflation and a crippling economic slowdown as the country implements painful fiscal reforms to avert default.

☆ Ex-PM Khan attends court as police storm home
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsEx-PM Khan attends court as police storm homePostedPakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan officially marked his presence in court in Islamabad on Saturday, his aide said, complying with judicial orders. Police clashed with his supporters there and in Lahore and stormed the former cricket star's home. Lucy Fielder has more.

☆ Pakistan police enter Lahore property of ex-PM Imran Khan - party officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan gather, as they guard the entrance of Khan's house, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/ File PhotoLAHORE, March 18 (Reuters) - Pakistani police on Saturday entered the property in Lahore of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, officials from his political party said, as he was arriving in the capital Islamabad for a court appearance. The move followed days of standoff and intense clashes between police and his supporters around the property, where police had attempted to arrest Khan on Tuesday. Khan said in a Tweet that his wife was at the property. (This story has been corrected to say police entered Imran Khan’s Lahore property as he was arriving in Islamabad for a court appearance in paragraph 1)Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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