Celebrities took to social media to condemn the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, calling it a “shameful” and “shocking” development at a time when political and economic turmoil has engulfed the country.

Imran was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust Case by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) outside the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday, much to the dismay of his followers. PTI, which has been pushing for elections in the country, is largely seen as the most popular political party at the moment.

Celebrities condemned the arrest, calling it “unconstitutional”, and began posting their reactions.

Actor Adnan Siddiqui wrote how the arrest was “shameful” and “shocking”

Singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yousuf, tweeted how “the arrest of Imran Khan on charges of corruption is so clearly unjustified.”

Pakistan actor Mishi Khan reacted to his arrest saying, “I am so heartbroken & dejected. This should not have happened.”

Model Veena Malik tweeted her admiration about Imran’s composure inside the Islamabad High Court.

Founder of Élan and designer Khadijah Shah condemned the arrest of Imran in a series of tweets, urging citizens to come out and protest.

Actor Maya Ali called termed it a “black day for the nation,”

Singer Annie Khalid posted a series of Instagram stories, urging everyone to come out of their homes and protest.

The Al-Qadir Trust case, which has been cited as the reason for his arrest, refers to out-of-court settlement of over Rs50 billion in laundered money by the previous government.

The details of the case state that Rs50 billion were illegally transferred to the United Kingdom by a housing society.