Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested as he appeared in court on Tuesday in connection with graft charges.

The Islamabad Police official Twitter account announced his arrest.

Fawad Chaudhry, a senior official with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said Khan was pulled of the court and shoved into a police vehicle.

Officials from the anti-corruption body said that Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau had issued arrest warrants for Khan in a separate graft case.

After Khan was taken away, a scuffle broke out between Khan’s supporters and police.

He was ousted from office in a no-confidence vote in April last year. He has claimed his ouster was illegal and a Western conspiracy.

The arrest is a dramatic escalation in the politics of the country.

Khan is a former cricket star.  He helped Pakistan win the World Cup in 1992.

After he retried he turned to politics.

Khan named his political party Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, the movement for justice. He was elected prime minister in August 2018. He lost a no-confidence vote in April 2022.

Supporters have thrown massive rallies and protests since his ouster.

Khan was shot and wounded at a rally in November when a gunman opened fire on him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.