Islamist former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested outside the High Court in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Angry mobs of supporters had thwarted previous attempts to take him into custody, so this time security forces in riot gear quickly dragged him into an armored vehicle and whisked him away.
According to the latest poll from Gallup, Imran Khan is the most popular political figure in Pakistan by a considerable margin, enjoying a 61% approval rating versus 32% for Shehbaz Sharif, the current prime minister. The second most popular spot is held by the prime minister’s brother Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party (PML-N) with 36%.
Khan has been fighting with the Pakistani judicial system over corruption allegations known as the “Toshakhana Case,” after the Pakistani agency that regulates gifts from foreigners to public officials. Several other cases were pending against him at the same time, including terrorism charges related to the one-time playboy athlete’s political comeback as a hardline Islamist populist, and some other corruption allegations.
Khan and his supporters dismiss all of these investigations as politically motivated…
