Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (1960s)
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy refused to endorse General Ayub Khan’s seizure of the Government. In January 1962, he was arrested and was kept in solitary confinement jail of Karachi, without trial on concocted charges of anti-state activities.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1970s)
In 1977, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was deposed in a military coup by his appointed army chief Zia-ul-Haq, before being controversially tried and executed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1979 for authorizing the murder of a political opponent. However, he was later released by Lahore High Court Justice Khuwaja Muhammad Ahmed Samdhano who stated that his arrest had no legal grounds.
Benazir Bhutto (1980’s)
In 1985, Benazir Bhutto arrived in Pakistan for her brother’s funeral and was put under house arrest for 90 days. She served as an opposition leader against Zia ul Haq’s leadership. Benazir Bhutto was arrested after denouncing the government at a Karachi rally on independence day. Protests spread through the nation and police killed at least four people in Lahore.
Nawaz Sharif (2000s-2010s)
In 2007, Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan after being cast into a ten-year exile by General Pervez Musharraf in 1999. He was arrested at Islamabad airport and was sent back to Jeddah to complete his exile. A Pakistani court sentenced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison on corruption charges related to four luxury London flats. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court handed down the verdict after a series of delays. His daughter and son-in-law were also convicted. He was released after two months. In December 2018, he was jailed again and was given a 7-year sentence. In November 2019, he was allowed to leave the country for medical but he hasn’t come back yet.
Imran Khan (2020’s)
In March 2023, two arrest warrants were issued against Imran Khan after skipping court proceedings. In May 2023, Khan was arrested by rangers in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. Source: Dawn