Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday by the Rangers outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a corruption case. The arrest triggered protests by PTI supporters in several cities, who demanded his immediate release and accused the government of political victimisation.

Imran Khan was facing multiple charges of corruption and money laundering in relation to the Al-Qadir Trust case, which alleges that he and his wife obtained billions of rupees from a real estate firm for legalising Rs50 billion. He had gone to the IHC to seek bail in the case, but was taken into custody by the paramilitary force before he could enter the court premises.

The arrest warrant for Imran Khan was issued on May 1 by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the anti-corruption watchdog. The Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Imran Khan had failed to appear before the court despite being issued several notices. He said that the arrest was conducted by NAB for causing losses to the national treasury and that Imran Khan was not tortured.

However, Imran Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry and party leader Musarrat Jamshed Cheema claimed that Imran Khan was “tortured” and “abducted” by the Rangers. They said that he was hit on his head and leg and his wheelchair was also tossed aside during the arrest. They also alleged that he was whisked away by unknown people to an unknown location.

The IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took notice of Imran Khan’s arrest and summoned the Islamabad police chief, the interior ministry secretary and the additional attorney general to explain why Imran Khan was arrested and in which case. He said that he was showing “restraint” and warned that he would “summon” the prime minister if the Islamabad police chief did not appear before the court.

Imran Khan’s arrest sparked outrage among his supporters, who took to the streets in various cities, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. They chanted slogans against the government and NAB and demanded Imran Khan’s release. They also blocked roads and burned tyres, causing traffic jams and inconvenience to commuters.

The PTI leadership condemned Imran Khan’s arrest and called it a “political vendetta” by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. They said that Imran Khan was being targeted for exposing the corruption and misrule of the PML-N government. They also announced that they would launch a nationwide protest movement against Imran Khan’s arrest and would not rest until he was freed.

Imran Khan, who became prime minister in 2018 after winning a majority in the general elections, was removed from power in April 2020 after he lost a confidence vote in parliament. Since then, he has been campaigning for early national polls, due in October this year. He has also been questioning whether army officers were above the law and accusing them of being involved in attempts on his life.