Thursday morning we received an urgent prayer request from a Christian pastor in Pakistan asking us to pray for the people of Pakistan in the wake of extreme political instability in that country. The special prayer was, “Pray for the common people here! We have NO water and NO electricity, and the weather is extremely hot!!!” Pray for peace, cooler weather and cooler heads to prevail. Declare Psalm 91 over these people who are caught in a struggle between the former prime minister and their military who are at odds with each other. Following are reports from AP and the BBC:
AP reports that Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested and dragged from court Tuesday as he appeared to face charges in multiple graft cases, a dramatic escalation of political tensions that sparked violent demonstrations by his angry supporters across the country. The arrest of Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 but remains the leading opposition figure, represented the latest confrontation to roil Pakistan, which has seen former prime ministers arrested over the years and interventions by its powerful military.
Amid the violence, officials at Pakistan’s telecommunication authority said regulators blocked social media, including Twitter, and internet service was suspended in the capital of Islamabad and other cities. Classes at some private schools were canceled for Wednesday.
UPDATE from the BBC Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ruled that former prime minister Imran Khan’s dramatic arrest on corruption charges this week was illegal.
The court ordered Mr Khan’s immediate release. His lawyers had argued that his detention from court premises in Islamabad on Tuesday was unlawful.
At least 10 people have been killed and 2,000 arrested as violent protests have swept the country since he was held. Tuesday’s arrest escalated growing tensions between him and the military.