US, UK urge 'rule of law' as Imran Khan's arrest stirs pan-Pakistan outcry

The top diplomats of the United States and Britain have called for adherence to the "rule of law" in Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan's arrest by paramilitary forces at a court triggered nationwide protests.

"We just want to make sure that whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law, with the constitution," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a joint news conference in Washington on Tuesday.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, speaking alongside Blinken, noted that Britain enjoyed "a longstanding and close relationship" with Commonwealth member Pakistan.

"We want to see peaceful democracy in that country. We want to see the rule of law adhered to," Cleverly said.

Both declined to comment in further detail, with Cleverly saying he had not been fully briefed on the situation.

Khan's arrest represented the latest confrontation to roil Pakistan, which has seen former prime ministers arrested over the years and interventions by its powerful military

Court upholds arrest

Khan, who was ousted last year as the civilian prime minister of the world's fifth most populous nation, was arrested during a court appearance in Islamabad on one of the myriad cases against him.

His lawyers challenged the legality of the arrest, but the court upheld it, although it added that Khan should not have been forcibly removed from the courtroom.

"Imran Khan has been arrested because he was being sought in a graft case," Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told a news conference.

Supporters of Khan, who has been seeking a political comeback, took vengeance against the military, which has long had a dominant position in Pakistani politics.

As news of the arrest spread, thousands of Khan's supporters stormed the official residence of the top regional commander in Lahore, smashing windows and doors, damaging furniture and staging a sit-in as troops there retreated to avoid violence.

Khan in the past has alleged US involvement in removing him, claims that Washington strongly denies.

"As we have said before, the United States does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus another," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about the situation in Pakistan.

Assassination claims

Khan's arrest comes a day after the powerful military rebuked him for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of trying to engineer his assassination and the former armed forces chief of being behind his removal from power last year.

Dozens of paramilitary troops in riot-control gear surrounded Khan — Pakistan's most popular leader according to opinion polls — and led him into a black van by his arm.

Authorities in three of Pakistan's four provinces imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings after Khan's supporters clashed with police, blocked major roads in a string of cities and stormed military buildings in Lahore and Rawalpindi, according to witnesses and videos shared by his party.

The military's public relations wing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The clashes killed one of the protesters and wounded 12 people, including six police officers in the southern city of Quetta, provincial Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said.

Pakistan's telecommunications watchdog told the Reuters news agency that mobile data services were being suspended on Interior Ministry orders, while Netblocks, a global internet monitor, said access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube had been restricted.