Watch dramatic arrest of Pakistan’s former prime minister
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested outside the High Court in the capital Islamabad.
Mr Khan was showing in court on prices of corruption, which he says are politically motivated.
Footage confirmed paramilitary forces in armoured personnel carriers detaining Mr Khan after he entered the court compound, earlier than driving him away.
He was ousted as PM in April final yr and has been campaigning for early elections since then.
General elections are resulting from be held later this yr.
A press release from the inspector-general of Punjab police mentioned the arrest of Mr Khan had been ordered as he was accused of “corruption and corrupt practices”.
The case entails allegations over the allotment of land in the so-called Al-Qadir Trust, which is owned by Mr Khan and his spouse, Dawn newspaper reported.
Mr Khan denies breaking any legislation.
In a video message filmed as he travelled to Islamabad – and launched by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) get together earlier than his arrest – Mr Khan mentioned he was prepared for what lay forward.
“Come to me with warrants, my lawyers will be there,” he mentioned. “If you want to send me to jail, I am prepared for it.”
The PTI has referred to as on its supporters to return onto the streets – protests have been reported from Lahore and Peshawar. In central Islamabad safety was tight for the previous PM’s court look.
Imran Khan has been the principle opposition chief since being ousted by his opponents in parliament a yr in the past
Dozen of circumstances have been introduced towards Mr Khan since he was ousted from energy.
The safety forces have tried to detain him on quite a few earlier events at his Lahore residence, however had been blocked by his supporters.
He was elected prime minister in 2018, however fell out with Pakistan’s highly effective military and after a sequence of defections, he misplaced his majority in parliament. He was ousted after he misplaced a confidence vote in April 2022, 4 years into his tenure.
Since then, he has been a vocal critic of the federal government and the nation’s military.
In October he was disqualified from holding public workplace, accused of incorrectly declaring particulars of presents from overseas dignitaries and proceeds from their alleged sale.
The subsequent month he survived a gun assault on his convoy whereas holding a protest march.
On Monday, the navy warned him towards making “baseless allegations” after he once more accused a senior officer of plotting to kill him.
