A former Pakistani minister and senior leader of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan's party was arrested early on January 25 on charges of "threatening and intimidating" the chief of the country's Election Commission and other members of the election oversight body.
Fawad Chaudhry, who served as minister for information and broadcasting in Khan's cabinet and is vice president and the main spokesman for his Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party, is a vocal critic of the current government.
Chaudhry's wife, Hiba, told Pakistani media that about 10 police officers barged into their home in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, before dawn and roughed up her husband before forcing him into a vehicle and driving away.
Shireen Mazari, a PTI spokesperson, said Chaudhry was taken in handcuffs to court in Lahore, where police asked for him to be remanded in custody and transferred to the capital, Islamabad. The judge approved the police request, RFE/RL reported.
Islamabad police said Chaudhry's arrest followed a complaint from the Election Commission of Pakistan that he threatened its head, Sikandar Sultan Raja, and other officials.
Hundreds of PTI supporters blocked a key highway in Jehlum, his home city in Punjab Province, demanding his release.
Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April and has been leading the opposition since then, condemned the arrest and also demanded Chaudhry's immediate release.
Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician, urged followers to "stand up for our fundamental rights."
Chaudhry on January 24 criticized the Election Commission for appointing veteran journalist Mohsin Naqvi as acting chief minister in Punjab.
The PTI and its allies had held majority seats in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assemblies but dissolved both earlier this month, in a move apparently meant to pressure the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif into calling early elections.
Sharif's government has rejected the call, saying the vote will be held as scheduled later this year.
Khan, who still enjoys huge popularity as the main opposition leader, was wounded in a gun attack while leading a rally toward Islamabad in November. One of Khan's supporters was killed and several others were wounded in the shooting.
In October, the Election Commission disqualified 70-year-old Khan from holding public office for five years after finding he had unlawfully sold state gifts and concealed assets as prime minister.
Khan has rejected the accusation, and claimed he was toppled in a plot by Sharif and the United States, a claim both deny.