() — Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was detained by paramilitary troops in Islamabad on charges by the country’s anti-corruption agency, according to court documents seen by .
Khan was presenting his biometrics to appear in court when paramilitary forces broke a window to get to him before apprehending him, a video provided to by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party shows.
In the video, paramilitary forces attacked the premises of the Islamabad High Court before arresting Khan.
A video sent to by the PTI showed paramilitary troops getting out of cars and waving batons before the arrest.
PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said the political leader had been “taken by unknown persons to an unknown location.”
Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence last year and has since led a popular campaign against the current government, accusing it of colluding with the military to oust him.
He has faced a growing backlog of legal cases against him and multiple arrest warrants have been issued, sparking clashes with his supporters.
Khan faces accusations of illegally selling gifts made to him by foreign dignitaries while in office, which he has rejected as “biased”. He says the accusations against him are political.
In March, the streets outside his Lahore residence turned into something of a free-for-all between police and supporters after officers tried to arrest Khan for failing to appear in court on corruption charges.
His supporters hurled stones and projectiles at police, while residents of Khan’s residence lit bonfires after officers fired tear gas into the compound.
Police later cut off power to Khan’s home and turned off street lights in the neighborhood. Finally the operation was suspended.
The legendary cricketer-turned-politician has accused the Pakistani authorities of trying to detain him in order to remove him from the pitch ahead of a general election scheduled for October.
“They are afraid that if I come to power, I will hold them accountable,” Khan told during riots outside his residence in March.
“They also know that even if I go to jail, we will win the election whatever they do.”
