Source: BBC
Tuesday 9 May 2023 15:40:19
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested outside the High Court in the capital Islamabad.
Mr Khan was appearing in court on charges of corruption, which he says are politically motivated.
Footage showed paramilitary forces in armoured personnel carriers detaining Mr Khan after he entered the court compound, before driving him away.
He was ousted as PM in April last year and has been campaigning for early elections since then.
General elections are due to be held later this year.
A statement from the inspector-general of Punjab police said the arrest of Mr Khan had been ordered as he was accused of "corruption and corrupt practices".
The case involves allegations over the allotment of land in the so-called Al-Qadir Trust, which is owned by Mr Khan and his wife, Dawn newspaper reported.
Mr Khan denies breaking any law.
In a video message filmed as he travelled to Islamabad - and released by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party before his arrest - Mr Khan said he was ready for what lay ahead.
"Come to me with warrants, my lawyers will be there," he said. "If you want to send me to jail, I am prepared for it."
The PTI has called on its supporters to come onto the streets - protests have been reported from Lahore and Peshawar. In central Islamabad security was tight for the former PM's court appearance.
Dozen of cases have been brought against Mr Khan since he was ousted from power.
The security forces have tried to detain him on a number of previous occasions at his Lahore residence, but were blocked by his supporters.
He was elected prime minister in 2018, but fell out with Pakistan's powerful army and after a series of defections, he lost his majority in parliament. He was ousted after he lost a confidence vote in April 2022, four years into his tenure.
Since then, he has been a vocal critic of the government and the country's army.
In October he was disqualified from holding public office, accused of incorrectly declaring details of presents from foreign dignitaries and proceeds from their alleged sale.
The next month he survived a gun attack on his convoy while holding a protest march.
On Monday, the military warned him against making "baseless allegations" after he again accused a senior officer of plotting to kill him.