CONFLICTS

Pakistan orders 9-day detention for held provincial official

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani arrives to a court in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. Durrani was arrested on charges of "possessing assets beyond his known sources." (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

People shower rose petals on a police car carrying Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani as he arrives to a court in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. Durrani was arrested on charges of "possessing assets beyond his known sources." (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A Pakistani court has extended the detention of a provincial assembly speaker and opposition member arrested on corruption allegations.

The court ordered that Agha Siraj Durrani, the speaker of the parliament in Sindh province, be held for nine more days to allow an anti-graft body to question him. Durrani appeared Thursday before the court in the city of Karachi.

He's a member of the opposition Pakistan People's Party headed by former President Asif Ali Zardari. Durrani was arrested on Wednesday.

Opposition lawmakers have condemned the arrest, describing it "political victimization" and claiming Durrani was falsely accused.

Authorities have arrested several politicians and businessmen on corruption charges since Prime Minister Imran Khan came to power last year following the removal of Nawaz Sharif by the country's top court over corruption allegations.