Khan arrested at Pakistan prostest

[Zirwaan Khan]

Khan arrested at Pakistan protest

Imran Khan went into hiding after police surrounded his home
Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan has been arrested after making his first public appearance since emergency rule was declared, police have said.

The former cricketer was detained after going to the University of Punjab in Lahore to address a protest by students against President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Khan was initially held for an hour by students from the Jamaat-e-Islami party after a standoff on the campus.

On Tuesday, Mr Khan said there should be no negotiations with Gen Musharraf.

He told the BBC he had agreed with ex-PM Benazir Bhutto, who is under house arrest, that the parliamentary election due to be held by mid-January would be meaningless if the state of emergency was not lifted.

"I am glad that all the opposition parties have come round to our point of view, which is that there should be no compromise with a military dictator," Mr Khan said.

"There is no way we are in a position to fight any election, so what we want from [Gen Musharraf] is... to resign, to restore the judiciary, and then hold elections."

Earlier, Ms Bhutto called for the president to step down, saying the Pakistani people had lost confidence in his ability to steer the country towards democracy.

BBC