Pakistan calls out army to quell riots

ISLAMABAD, May 11 (AFP): Pakistan's political turmoil intensified late Wednesday with violent nationwide protests swelling and the government deploying the military as former prime minister Imran Khan was remanded in custody for eight days on fresh corruption charges following his dramatic detention.
Khan was arrested Tuesday during a routine hearing in the capital Islamabad and whisked away to an unknown location overnight before appearing behind closed doors in a specially convened anti-graft court at police headquarters.
The upheaval, including mass arrests of protesters, follows months of political crisis during which Khan, who was ousted in April last year, has waged an unprecedented campaign against the country's powerful military.
"If they think that the arrest of Imran Khan will demoralise us, then they are hugely mistaken," said supporter Niaz Ali in Peshawar, where several monuments and government buildings have been torched.
"We stand with Imran Khan and will support him till death."
The cabinet Wednesday approved deployment of the army in two provinces and the capital to restore peace, a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said.