The country’s anti-corruption force has arrested former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan outside a court in Islamabad where he was due to face corruption charges.
“Mr. Khan is now being held to face allegations of corruption,” a senior Pakistani government official told the Financial Times, without specifying the exact charge.
Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party tweeted that Khan was “kidnapped by guards”, and released a video showing the former cricket star-turned-politician being dragged into an armored vehicle by a mob of agents, many of them carrying riot shields and wearing helmets.
The arrest of the country’s most popular politician comes as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government ramps up pressure on Khan, who was ousted from office in April last year.
Khan faces a barrage of legal challenges that could prevent him from running for office if convicted, including allegations that he illegally sold gifts he received while serving as prime minister.
This is a developing story