ISLAMABAD     -   For the last several months, the coalition government and the PTI-led opposition have been at loggerheads and now the political drama heads to the climax with PTI chief Imran Khan’s arrest.

Violent protests erupted in all cities after Khan, the former prime minister, was arrested as he appeared in a court in Islamabad, to face corruption allegations. The PTI gave the call to protest, immediately rising the political temperature to an even higher level.

Khan was arrested in connection with corruption involving the Al-Qadir University Trust, headed by Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.

While Imran Khan’s arrest was shocking for the PTI supporters, it was not largely unexpected. Imran Khan himself had been trying various legal methods to avoid arrest in the past few weeks.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Imran Khan’s arrest was made “in accordance with the law” and upon the orders of the NAB. “NAB is an independent institution and we have never tried to control it,” he maintained.

Prominent analyst Zahid Hussain said the arrest could spark a new phase of unrest in the country. “The arrest of politicians is nothing new. When Imran Khan was in power, he had justified such actions and now the same has happened to him. There has been a reaction and it has the potential to get out of control,” he said.

Hussain was of the view that such political arrests must come to an end as the country cannot afford instability amid the unending economic crisis.

“The situation is already worse. Protests will make it even more terrible. I don’t see this arrest helping the situation,” he added.

The Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders have been arrested in the past but they did not give such widespeared calls for agitation which kept the situation under control.

Imran Khan, however, is less patient. He has already been leading a campaign for early elections and his party is calling for protests which can result in clashes.

Mosharraf Zaidi, an analyst and columnist, said: “We are poised on a knife’s edge. The next few hours and next few days are going to be crucial in determining the short-term prospects for stability here.”

He predicted that there will be “rising temperatures, potential conflict, hopefully limited pockets of violence, hopefully nothing too serious, but at this point, whether, for better or worse, a lot will depend on the PTI’s leadership.” Zaidi said Imran Khan’s arrest was not surprising because “if you are a popular Pakistani politician, you end up in jail.”

Yesterday, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that May 9 would be remembered as a ‘black chapter’ in the history of Pakistan, citing protests “targeting army property and installations” after the PTI chief’s arrest. “We will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands,” it said in a statement.

The military’s media wing stated that Imran Khan was arrested in the Islamabad High Court “in line with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) statement and law”. “Immediately after this arrest, attacks were perpetrated on the army’s properties and installations while anti-army slogans were raised,” it deplored.

Later in the day, the federal government approved the deployment of Army in Punjab on the request of the Provincial Home Department.

According to a notification issued by the Interior Ministry in this regard, the services of ten companies of Pakistan Army have been handed over to Punjab government. The Army will assist the district administrations to maintain law and order across the province.

PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the Islamabad High Court had declared Imran Khan’s arrest legal.

“Is the burning of government property a change? Arrests for corruption and looting of the national treasury are in accordance with the law,” he contended.

He termed the attacks on offices and residences of national security institutions are tantamount to treason. “This is not politics, it is terrorism,” he underscored.

Zeeshan Salahuddin, a political analyst, said it is “difficult to predict where this country might go within the next 12 to 48 hours.”

“The situation is very vitriolic, very nebulous, and it’s very uncertain at the moment,” Salahuddin contended.

As the event unfolded, the European Union yesterday emphasized that in such difficult and “tense times, restraint and cool headedness are needed.”

“Pakistan’s challenges can only be addressed and its pathway can only be determined by Pakistanis themselves, through sincere dialogue and in line with the rule of law,” an EU spokesperson said in a statement issued here.

People have supported or rejected Imran Khan’s arrest but there was one person who remained ‘neutral’ – Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan. “I’m busy with a special family event. Not available for comment,” she tweeted.

Nothing is predictable in Pakistan but the political confrontation is fast approaching the climax. The nation keeps fingers crossed.