Pakistani police arrests key opposition leader on graft charges

KARACHI, Pakistan

A key Pakistani opposition leader and former chief minister of central-eastern Punjab province, Chaudhry Perwez Elahi, was arrested in a graft case on Thursday, officials and his family confirmed.

Elahi, who has recently been appointed as president of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was arrested by anti-corruption authorities in provincial capital Lahore.

Provincial caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir, while confirming the arrest, told reporters that Elahi is facing several corruption charges.

Footage aired on local broadcaster Samaa News showed police breaking the windowpane of Elahi's vehicle as he apparently resisted to surrender.

Another video shows police pushing him to the security van outside his Lahore home.

His arrest is the latest in a series of raids and arrests of PTI supporters following violent protests and attacks on military installations across the country, which began with Khan's arrest on May 9.

The PTI claims that over 7,000 of its workers and supporters have been arrested since May. The government, for its part, confirms some 4,000 arrests.