After his brief detention and imprisonment last week caused fatal violence, Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan called for nationwide "freedom" protests on Sunday.

After his imprisonment was ruled by the Supreme Court to be illegal, the former cricketing star, who has been embroiled in numerous legal proceedings since being removed from office in April of last year, was released on bail on Friday.n was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court.

Furious with the arrest, Khan's supporters destroyed military equipment, stopped roads, and set fire to government facilities, which they claimed was the cause of Khan's demise.

“Freedom does not come easily. You have to snatch it. You have to sacrifice for it,” he said in an address broadcast on YouTube Saturday night.

He called for his supporters to hold protests “at the end of your streets and villages” across the country on Sunday, and announced a return to campaigning on Wednesday for immediate elections.

His arrest on Tuesday came just hours after he was rebuked for claiming senior officials were involved in an assassination attempt against him last year.