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Footage of the arrest showed scores of security personnel in
riot-control gear whisking Khan away in a van as Khan's party
called for protests across the country.
"Pakistan's people, this is the time to save your country. You
won't get any other opportunity," the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
party wrote on Twitter.
The arrest comes at a time when ordinary Pakistanis are reeling
from the worst economic crisis in decades, with record high
inflation and anaemic growth.
An International Monetary Fund bailout package has been delayed
for months even though foreign exchange reserves are barely
enough to cover a month's imports
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters that Khan was
arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after he
did not appear before it "despite notices".
The NAB had issued Khan's arrest warrants on May 1, according to
an order seen by Reuters. "Khan is accused of commission of the
offence of corruption and corrupt practices," it said.
Khan's graft case is one of over 100 registered against him
since he was ousted from power in a parliamentary vote in April
last year. He served four of his five-year term.
In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding
public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled
for November.
Previous attempts to arrest Khan from his Lahore home resulted
in heavy clashes between his supporters and law enforcement
personnel.
Political infighting is common in Pakistan, where no prime
minister has yet fulfilled a full term and where the military
has ruled for nearly half of the country's history.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad and Gibran Peshimam; Writing by
Shivam Patel; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Krishna N. Das and Nick
Macfie)
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