Khan says spies are taking allies hostage to make them defect

IMRAN KHAN has accused Pakistan’s spy agency of abducting key allies and forcing them to defect from his party.

The former Pakistani prime minister and cricket legend has provoked conflict with the military, which has ruled the nation for around half its history.

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has launched a crackdown on the opposition leader’s party since his supporters broke into army headquarters in Rawalpindi and burned a commander’s home in Lahore. They were enraged by the May 9 arrest of Mr Khan.

Since then, more than 80 leaders in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have resigned. On Thursday, Mr Khan accused the ISI of “illegally detaining” Pervez Khattak, his former defence minister, and Asad Qaiser, the parliamentary speaker, in a “safe house”.