India has to be on guard, Pakistan will try to "divert attention": Security expert Tilak Devasher

New Delhi: India has to be "on guard" in the wake of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan's arrest as they will try to "divert attention" from what's happening in Pakistan, said Tilak Devasher, National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) member and security expert.
Devasher made the above remarks in an exclusive interview with ANI hours after Imran Khan was arrested in Pakistan from outside Islamabad High Court by Rangers on the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) warrant in the Al-Qadir Trust case. "I think, in Pakistan what happens in the next week or next few days or next week are going to determine what happens in Pakistan in the next couple of months at least," he added.
The NSAB member also termed Khan's arrest an important development in Pakistan, and said, "This is something that has been waiting to happen for a considerable amount of time. You recall a month or two ago, the police tried to arrest him from Zaman Park even though they had an arrest warrant. But his supporters didn't allow the police to enter and then the police backed off."
Responding to another question on how he sees the political future of Imran Khan, as well as the PTI party, the defence expert said, "You see, now it all depends. He has been arrested, now the case is going on. Does he get relief in the case? Is the case dismissed? Will they use this to disqualify him from contesting elections?"
"If that happens, then it's a major dent for the PTI, because what is PTI without Imran Khan? Without Imran Khan, the party will not be able to do well whenever, as and when the elections are held. So this is a major, major development. We'll have to wait and watch how this case actually progresses. Does he get bail and is he then disqualified by the election commission as a result of this arrest?"
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday termed Imran Khan's arrest as "legal," reported Geo News.
When asked if there will be massive outrage across Pakistan, given the PTI claims of Rangers abducting Imran Khan, Devasher said, "You see, irrespective of how he was arrested, there will be an outcry in Pakistan because of his popularity, because of his supporters in all the provinces, there will be now it will be in the PTI's interest to say that he was abducted, he was roughed up."
He also explained that the Rangers did so in an effort to quickly take him away, so as to avoid his supporters' chaos.
"But whether it was actually so or not if the Rangers had an arrest warrant duly issued by a court, then he is just picked up. And I think the Rangers effort was to quickly whisk him away before the crowds gather and before they prevent him from being taken away. So I don't think that is so important as the fact that he has been arrested. That in any case will lead to outrage and an outcry all over Pakistan," the defence expert added.
Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday afternoon from outside the IHC by a group of Ranger personnel. Khan's arrest has been termed a fascist action by PTI and the party has also called its supporters to come out on the streets in maximum numbers to register their anger over the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. (ANI)