Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, was arrested on Tuesday by paramilitary forces who broke into a courthouse in Islamabad. The arrest was made on multiple corruption charges brought by the National Accountability Bureau, the country's anti-corruption agency. According to court documents, Khan was submitting his biometric data for a court appearance when paramilitary forces smashed a window and apprehended him. In a pre-recorded statement released on YouTube by his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after his arrest, Khan claimed that he was "detained on incorrect charges" and that the constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees democracy and fundamental rights, has been buried.
Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last year, has been leading a popular campaign against the current government led by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. He has accused the government of colluding with the military to remove him from office. Khan has faced multiple allegations of corruption while he was in office, which he has rejected as "biased" and "political". He has appealed to his supporters to "come out for your fundamental rights" and "struggle for your rights".
Khan's arrest has been described by PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry as an "abduction" and he has said that Khan was "whisked away by unknown people to an unknown location". The arrest of the former cricket star turned politician is the latest chapter in months of ongoing political turmoil in Pakistan. In March, the streets outside Khan's residence in Lahore became a pitched battle between police and his supporters after officers attempted to arrest him for not showing up to court on corruption charges. Supporters hurled stones and projectiles at police while people inside Khan's residence lit fires after officers fired tear gas into the compound.
The arrest of Khan comes at a time when Pakistan is facing an acute economic crisis. The government has been trying to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to restart a $6.5 billion loan program that has stalled since November, in an effort to keep the economy afloat. The fund has presented a set of conditions in exchange for the release of a $1.1 billion loan installment, including liberalizing the rupee's exchange rate and raising taxes. Inflation has soared in recent months, with the consumer price index rising to a record 35% in March from a year earlier, according to official figures. According to a survey conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, just under three-quarters of 2,000 respondents think the country's economic situation has gotten worse over the last six months.