Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Saturday at his residence in Lahore after a court in the capital declared him guilty of graft and sentenced him to three years in prison.
The former international cricketer has long predicted that he will be jailed in order to prevent him from participating in elections scheduled for before the end of the year.
In Pakistan, anyone convicted of a criminal offense is normally barred from running for office or contesting elections.
“His dishonesty has been established beyond doubt,” judge Humayun Dilawar wrote in a ruling seen by AFP for a case centred on gifts he received and did not properly declare while he was premier.
“He has been found guilty of corrupt practices by hiding the benefits he accrued from national exchequer willfully and intentionally.”
In May, Khan was arrested and temporarily held in Islamabad in connection with the same issue, causing violent riots in which members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party rushed onto the streets and battled with police.
Following his release after three days in detention, the PTI has been targeted by a crackdown that has resulted in thousands of arrests, reports of intimidation, and press censorship.
Images of Khan, or even mention of his name, are barred from being shown on TV stations, yet he remains enormously popular, with a premiere video on his personal TikTok account garnering over 135 million views and 4.5 million likes in 36 hours last month.
After he was taken away by police Saturday, a video statement Khan made before his arrest was posted to his X account with him calling for his supporters to protest.
“My fellow Pakistanis, they will have arrested me and I’ll be in jail by the time this message reaches you. I have just one request and appeal, that you are not to sit silently at home,” he said.
“This is a war for justice, for your rights, for your freedom… chains don’t just fall off, they have to be broken. You must continue peaceful protest until you get your rights.”
