It’s no wonder that many in Pakistan now fear for the fate of Imran Khan | Farzana Shaikh

The arrest of the former PM is yet another chapter in the conflict between the country's all-powerful army and political class

The arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on charges of corruption has sent shock waves throughout Pakistan and the wider world, raising the prospect of an imminent disintegration of the country's fragile social and political fabric.

For many, however, it also speaks to a well-established tradition: the incarceration of political leaders who fall foul of the country's all-powerful military.

Farzana Shaikh is associate fellow in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House