Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested outside a High Court in Islamabad, the country’s capital.
Dozen of cases have been brought against the 70-year-old politician since he was ousted from power. According to reports, security forces have tried to detain him on previous occasions but were blocked by his supporters. Last year, he survived a gun attack on his convoy while holding a protest march.
Khan’s arrest comes a day after the country’s army accused him of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Footage showed paramilitary forces in armoured personnel carriers detaining Khan.
The former PM insists he was “detained on incorrect charges” in a pre-recorded statement released on YouTube by political party, Paskistan Tehreek-e-Inset (PTI) after his arrest.
“By the time you will receive these words of mine, I will have been detained on incorrect charges, Pakistan constitution, which gives us rights, which gives us democracy, has been buried. Perhaps I won’t get the opportunity to speak to you again.”
Khan claims in the video statement, “I have always followed the law. I am being apprehended so that I can’t follow my political path for this country’s fundamental rights and for me to obey this corrupt govt of crooks which has been hoisted on us.”
Khan appealed to his supporters to “come out for your fundamental rights; no nation is handed its freedom on a plate; the time has come for all of you to come and struggle for your rights.”
