KEY POINTS
- Anonymous said Pakistani authorities censored social media to hide police brutality
- The hacking group vowed to “fight for those in need” amid Pakistan’s deadly protests
- Many people got arrested after protesters and paramilitary forces clashed on the streets
International hacktivist collective Anonymous has warned the Pakistani government over the violent protests caused by the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
On Twitter, the Anonymous group posted a video showing clashes on the street between civilians and paramilitary forces.
The hacking group noted that Pakistani authorities have censored social media websites “in an attempt to hide the police brutality.”
“To the Gov’t of #Pakistan: You have censored social media and other communications of your people in order to suppress the knowledge of your crimes against them,” Anonymous said.
To the Gov’t of #Pakistan: You have censored social media and other communications of your people in order to suppress the knowledge of your crimes against them. We will not give up the fight for a better world. We’re always going to fight for those in need. Expect us! #Anonymous
— Anonymous TV 🇺🇦 (@YourAnonTV) May 10, 2023
“We will not give up the fight for a better world. We’re always going to fight for those in need. Expect us!” the hacking collective added.
BBC News reported that at least 10 people have died, and 2,000 others got arrested as deadly protests swept Pakistan following Khan’s arrest.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court invalidated Khan’s arrest after the former prime minister’s lawyers argued that the way he had been arrested inside a court complex and taken his biometrics was illegal.
“Your arrest was invalid so the whole process needs to be backtracked,” Pakistani Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said.
The Pakistani high court has also provided Khan with protection and ordered him to remain at the police guesthouse.
At the high court hearing, Khan recalled his experience during his arrest, telling Pakistan judges that he’d been kidnapped and “hit with sticks” by the security forces.
Former Pakistani ambassador Maleeha Lodhi hoped the high court ruling in favor of Khan would ease the tension across the country.
“There is still uncertainty, but hopefully the situation will not return to the kind of violent scenes that we have seen,” Lodhi said.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau arrested Khan inside the Islamabad High Court compound.
Some online videos showed Pakistani security personnel in full-riot gear surrounding Khan and leading him into a black van.
According to the arrest warrant issued last May 1, Khan was “accused of commission of the offense of corruption and corrupt practices.”
Khan, a cricket hero-turned-politician, rose to power in 2018 after his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), won the most seats in the country’s National Assembly.
But beset with worsening economic conditions and his relationship with the Pakistani military falling out, Khan was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
In November last year, Khan was shot in the leg while leading a protest march in Wazirabad in Punjab province.
