Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, has been arrested by Pakistan’s anti-graft watchdog.
Khan was arrested at Islamabad High Court on Tuesday to face charges in a corruption case.
Footage of the arrest showed scores of security personnel in riot-control gear whisking Khan away in a van as Khan’s party called for protests across the country.
“Pakistan’s people, this is the time to save your country. You won’t get any other opportunity,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party wrote on Twitter.
Khan was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April last year. He has claimed his ousting was illegal and a western conspiracy and has campaigned against the government of his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, demanding early elections.
Officials from the anti-corruption body said that Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau had issued arrest warrants for Khan last week in a separate graft case, for which he had not obtained bail — something that would protect him from arrest under the country’s laws.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Khan will be brought to appear before an anti-corruption tribunal later on Tuesday.
According to the arrest order issued by NAB, “Khan is accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices,” it said.
Khan had arrived in Islamabad earlier in the day from the nearby city of Lahore, where he resides, to face charges before the Islamabad high court in multiple corruption cases against him. He has claimed that the string of cases against him, which include terrorism charges, are a plot Sharif’s government to discredit the former cricket star turned Islamist politician.
In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled for November.
Previous attempts to arrest Khan from his Lahore home resulted in heavy clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
