Two people have died as protests are recorded across Pakistan following the arrest of former Primer Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday.

Khan appeared before a judge on Wednesday on corruption charges which sparked nationwide protests, according to BBC.

The police said about 1,000 people have been arrested in the country after Khan was held in Islamabad on charges he has denied.

Reports revealed that there was tight security at the police guesthouse where he is being detained, which also serves as a courtroom.

The arrest escalated a political battle between Khan and Pakistan’s powerful military.

The former international cricket star, 70, was ousted last April, less than four years into his term as prime minister.

In November, he was shot in the leg while campaigning among crowds in the city of Wazirabad.

He has accused a senior intelligence official of carrying out the attack – an accusation strongly denied by the military in recent days. A day before his arrest, the military had warned Khan against repeating the allegation.

He now faces dozens of charges relating to corruption and sedition, which he affirmed are politically motivated.

Until Tuesday, he had managed to evade arrest several times by refusing to show up to court hearings.

His supporters argue that the current Pakistan government has brought these charges against Khan in a bid to prevent him from contesting in general elections slated for October.

“Mr Imran Khan will face the law, if innocent, [he] can contest the election. But if found guilty of corruption, he will have to face the consequence of that,” Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal said in a press conference on Wednesday.