Former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on Saturday after a judge found him guilty of graft and sentenced him to three years in jail, police and officials confirmed.
Graft is a form of political corruption.
“I have just received the information that Imran Khan has been arrested,” Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, told reporters on Saturday evening AEST.
Police in Lahore said Khan had been arrested by officers from the Islamabad force.
Khan urged his supporters to remain peaceful but encouraged them to show their support towards him in a prerecorded message released after his arrest on Saturday.
“My arrest was expected and I recorded this message before my arrest … I want my party workers to remain peaceful, steadfast and strong,” he said in a video statement posted to social media.
'Don't sit silently at home': arrested ex-PM Imran Khan appeals to Pakistan supporters
“I have only one appeal, don‘t sit at home silently.”
Mr Khan was a former cricketer who made a foray into politics. He is aged 70.
Mr Khan is facing more than 100 charges of corruption, including allegations he did not correctly declare presents he received from foreign diplomats.
In one case, he allegedly was gifted Rolex watches, a ring and a pair of cuff links reported to be worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees (AUS$757,000).
Khan was ousted as prime minister in April last year and has been campaigning for early elections since then.
General elections are due to be held later this year.
Last November, Khan was shot in a gun attack while he was hosting a protest march.
Pakistan’s powerful military have rebuked him after he accused a senior officer of trying to kill him.
Khan has had dozens of cases brought against him since he was ousted from power.
Previous attempts to arrest Khan from his Lahore home resulted in heavy clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel.
https://i.imgur.com/wgyxYAj.jpg
Pakistani police leave after arresting former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan (not pictured) at his house in Lahore on August 5, 2023.
