A special court in Pakistan on May 10 remanded former Prime Minister Imran Khan in custody for eight days after he was indicted in a graft case following his arrest by Pakistan's anti-corruption agency the previous day.
The move sparked deadly protests in several regions of Pakistan and prompted the government to deploy the military in parts of the country to help end the unrest.
Khan's supporters stormed military buildings and ransacked the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore. Other state buildings were attacked and set ablaze.
The army issued a statement saying it had shown restraint thus far, but any further assaults on the military or law enforcement agencies, state installations, and properties "will be met with severe retaliation."
The responsibility for any countermeasures will belong to the leaders of Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party, the army statement said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants all parties to refrain from violence and stresses the need to respect the right to peaceful assembly, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in New York.
Guterres also urged Pakistani authorities to "respect due process and the rule of law in proceedings" against Khan.
Khan has been at odds with Pakistan's powerful military establishment ever since he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April last year.
He has rejected the multiple corruption cases opened against him by authorities as being politically motivated.
Khan on May 10 was indicted by a court on charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts while he was prime minister between 2018 and 2022, in a case known as Tosha Khana.
The elections commission in October disqualified Khan from holding public office for five years after a court established his guilt in the Tosha Khana case. He rejected the charges.
Khan appeared on May 9 in a separate corruption case and was arrested in the Islamabad High Court building by agents from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in what his party said was a "kidnapping."
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on May 9 that Khan was arrested for his implication in a corruption scandal known as the Al-Qadir Trust Case, which centers on the granting of land through a trust owned by Khan and his wife.
His arrest came a day after Khan accused a senior army general on May 7 of being involved in an attempt on his life last year.
WATCH: Spontaneous protests in Lahore, Peshawar, and other places aimed to block traffic. In front of a military compound in the city of Mardan protesters chanted "death to the Pakistani Army," accusing the military of corruption. In some cases police responded with tear gas and water cannons.
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Imran Khan Supporters Protest His Arrest In Pakistan
Authorities said on May 10 that violence triggered by Khan's arrest left at least four people dead so far -- one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and three in Peshawar -- while more than 1,300 protesters were arrested in Khan's home province of Punjab after they went on a rampage. Violent protests were reported in Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta.
The turmoil led authorities to impose an emergency order in three out of Pakistan's four provinces, banning all gatherings by Kahn's Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party, and sending troops in Punjab and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Mobile broadband has been suspended across Pakistan following the protests.
Khan, who still enjoys huge popularity as the main opposition leader, was wounded in a gun attack in November while leading a political march toward Islamabad. One Khan supporter was killed and several wounded in the shooting.
A former cricket star turned Islamist politician, Khan, 70, has been leading the opposition since his ouster, which he claimed was part of a plot by Sharif and the United States. Both deny involvement.
Khan claimed he was toppled in a plot by Sharif and the United States. Both deny involvement in his ouster.
Following Khan's arrest, the rupee on May 10 dropped 1.3 percent to a fresh record low of 288.5 against the U.S. dollar.
Pakistan has been in the grip of a spiraling economic crisis that has sent people's purchasing power into free fall.