Imran Khan vs Pakistan’s government: A timeline of political upheaval
As PTI supporters clash with security forces in Islamabad, here’s a look back at how Pakistan got here.
Anniversary of ex-Pakistan PM's arrest: Imran khan's supporters protest one year on
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been protesting in various parts of the country, including the capital, Islamabad, demanding the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Protesters clashed with the police on Monday and Tuesday and defied barriers – walls of shipping containers – to make their way into the city’s protest hub, the Democracy Chowk or D-Chowk.
The government has deployed the military in Islamabad, invoking Article 245 of the constitution.
Khan, embroiled in some 150 cases, has been in jail since August 2023, but remains popular among his supporters.
So how did we get here? Here’s a recap of the lead-up to Khan’s May 9, 2023 arrest, and the key events that have transpired since:
2022
April 10: Khan loses a no-confidence vote in parliament, forcing his removal from power. He alleges a United States-backed conspiracy to sack him. Rival Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party becomes the prime minister. The US denies any role in Khan’s removal from power.
October 21: The Election Commission of Pakistan disqualifies Khan as a member of parliament after finding him guilty of “corrupt practices”, two months after he is charged in the state gifts case, which accuses him of selling gifts he received from foreign countries when he was the prime minister.
November 3: Khan escapes an assassination attempt while leading a protest in Wazirabad city in Punjab province to demand snap elections.
2023
May 9: Khan is arrested in a corruption case while making a court appearance in Islamabad, triggering nationwide protests by his supporters who blame the military for orchestrating the arrest. The military has consistently denied any role in Khan’s legal or political troubles.
May 11: Amid deadly protests led by PTI, Pakistan’s Supreme Court says Khan’s arrest is illegal, ordering his immediate release.
May 17: Authorities accuse Khan of hiding May 9 rioters in his residence in Lahore. Pakistan’s National Security Committee approves the military’s decision to try the arrested protesters in military courts.
August 5: Police arrest Khan in Lahore after an Islamabad court sentences him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts.
August 6: Pakistan’s election panel bars Khan from politics for five years following his conviction in the state gifts case.
August 9: President Arif Alvi dissolves the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, paving the way for elections.
August 14: A caretaker government takes office under Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.
August 20: Khan’s close aide and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is arrested in the state secrets or cypher case – which refers to the leaking of a secret diplomatic cable Khan alleges proves his charge that the US was involved in his removal from power.
October 21: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif’s elder brother, returns to Pakistan from self-exile in the United Kingdom. A few days after his arrival, the Islamabad High Court grants him bail in several corruption cases.
October 24: A five-member Supreme Court bench declares the military trial of civilians in May 9 cases unconstitutional.
November 21: Islamabad High Court declares Khan’s in-jail trial illegal, striking down his indictment in the cypher case.
December 14: A six-member bench of the Supreme Court upholds an appeal by the government against its October 24 ruling. This allows the military trial of the May 9 accused to continue.
2024
January 13: Khan’s PTI is banned from using the iconic cricket bat symbol for not holding intraparty elections. PTI-backed candidates are forced to contest the elections as independents.
January 30: Khan is sentenced to 10 years in jail in the cypher case.
January 31: A court in Rawalpindi sentences Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 years in the state gifts case.
February 3: Another court in Rawalpindi sentences Khan and Bibi to seven years, ruling that their marriage violated Islamic law.
February 8: Pakistan holds parliamentary and provincial elections. PTI alleges widespread vote rigging — accusations the government denies.
February 13: PMLN and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), along with other allies, form the government despite PTI-backed MPs emerging as the single largest bloc in parliament.
March 11: Police arrest more than 100 PTI supporters protesting against alleged rigging in the election.
April 1: Islamabad High Court suspends jail sentences of Khan and Bibi in state gifts case.
May 8: Bibi, who was under house arrest at Khan’s Bani Gala residence in Islamabad, is moved to Adiala jail.
May 15: Khan makes a virtual appearance before the Supreme Court through videolink, marking the first time he appeared before the court. The court appearance is not livestreamed or aired by the media or court.
June 3: Khan and Qureshi are acquitted by the Islamabad High Court in the cypher case.
June 27: A court in Islamabad rejects Khan and Bibi’s appeal to suspend their sentence in the illegal marriage case.
July 1: Geneva-based United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention publishes the opinion that Khan is arbitrarily detained in violation of international law.
July 13: An Islamabad court accepts Khan and Bibi’s appeal to suspend the illegal marriage sentence.
July 15: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announces that the government plans to ban PTI, citing incitement of violent protests and leaking of classified information.
September 8: Thousands of PTI members and supporters march in Islamabad, demanding Khan’s release. The Islamabad administration deploys shipping containers and riot police.
October 18: PTI supporters protest in major cities against the proposed 26th constitutional amendment.
October 21: Pakistan’s government approves the constitutional amendment empowering parliament to appoint the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
October 24: Bibi is released from Adiala jail in the state gifts case.
November 24: PTI leaders and supporters begin to march towards Islamabad to demand the release of Khan and the revocation of the 26th amendment. Protesters clash with the police.