Scars are still raw and bleeding a year after the arrest of Imran Khan, as Pakistan has not fully healed

One year after Imran Khan's arrest sparked violent nationwide protests, Pakistan remains deeply divided, with the ex-PM's supporters alleging abuse and the military demanding apologies before any talks.

It was exactly a year ago when the detention of Imran Khan, the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan on graft charges not only triggered widespread protests but also the first bloodshed of such intensity that the nation has ever experienced. It was the gang of Khan's partisans who got out on the streets, with their indignation, fighting with the military and the police. 

May 9, 2023 events caused more than 10 deaths and inflicted injuries to hundreds of people.  They also resulted in the loss of $9 million in property value. The Pakistan Armed Forces, labeling it a "Black Day," reacted angrily after demonstrators, not only vandalized but also destroyed military monuments and buildings. 

After the bold clash between Khan and the court on live television, his supporters were very active in setting fire, blocking roads, and even attacking a senior military officer's residence in Lahore. The scenes were the start of a fall of the military which had long been the actual power behind the political system in Pakistan. 

The scars inflicted by the incident remain after a year passes by. While the majority of supporters who protested remain in prison, the claims of torture and malpractice during the arrests are being heard. The opposition party of the ex-cricket player claims that people were held in custody without any discrimination which was thousands. 

In her own words, "Every time I spent time in that prison, I felt like I was in a graveyard," said Abrar, a Khan supporter who was released in the early months of 2024 after having spent nine months in jail. "My child would be crying and I could not dry her tears.  "

Khan, who lost power in the recent elections, has been embroiled in a host of legal cases that his followers say are politically motivated to see that his party does not get back to power. The 2024 election ban did not prevent his party from emerging as the largest group of a parliament that is divided.

Though there has been no breakthrough in the negotiations between Khan's party and the government, fear of unresolved grievances could lead to further upheavals. To this point, a journalist warned: "We cannot move forward until this problem is tackled. "

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The military, as it was in power in the country for about half the period during Pakistan's 75 years of existence, has denied any mutual dialogue with the "anarchist group" unless they would have apologized for their deeds, and stopped the "politics of hatred". " The political solution that will last for a long time is even more difficult to find one year after the “Black Day” of Pakistan.