Islamabad/Lahore

Police arrested Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday after a court sentenced the opposition leader to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts. Legal experts say the guilty verdict reached by a district court could end Khan’s chances of contesting national elections that have to be held before early November.

Police have arrested Imran Khan from his residence, Khan’s lawyer Intezar Panjotha told Reuters. We are filing a petition against the decision in high court. Lahore’s Police Chief Bilal Siddique Kamiana confirmed the arrest and told the politician was being transferred to the capital, Islamabad.

Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said in a statement they had already filed another appeal to the Supreme Court earlier on Saturday. The conviction came just a day after Pakistan’s high court had temporarily halted the district court trial. It was not immediately clear why the trial had proceeded despite the high court decision.

Khan’s arrest and detention for several days in May over a separate case had sparked intense political turmoil and deadly clashes had erupted between Khan Supporters and police. The latest arrest comes in the lead up to an election expected to take place in the next three months. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has proposed that parliament be dissolved on Aug. 9, three days before the end of its term, according to political, paving the way for a general election by November.