In Pakistan clashes, Khan showed he commands huge crowds. What's driving them?

The arrest of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan earlier this week has shown how quickly his fervent loyalists can mobilize in large numbers.

Within hours of his detention, his supporters torched vehicles and buildings, and attacked police and military facilities to express their fury over the treatment of the 70-year-old opposition leader. Khan’s supporters have emerged as a major force, challenging the authority of the government and military, aware that they can shift the political balance through unrelenting pressure.

Here's a look at who they are and what's driving them:

WHAT IS IMRAN KHAN'S APPEAL?

Khan has been a star in Pakistan for decades. As an athlete, in 1992 he led the country to its only World Cup victory in cricket, a massive sport in South Asia. That made him a hero to tens of millions of people before he even entered politics.

He founded Pakistan’s first cancer hospital, named after his mother, and ventured into philanthropy. His anti-corruption mantra is a hit in a country riddled with graft. And he has claimed he is the only leader who can stand up to the West and, in particular, the United States. It's a popular narrative in Pakistan, where resentment of foreign involvement in domestic matters is deep-seated.

WHO ARE HIS SUPPORTERS?

Khan's appeal spans social classes. Loyalists include young educated Pakistanis without links to the two main political dynasties, the Sharifs and the Bhuttos. He also appeals to the diaspora and illiterate people in rural areas who have no access to social media or the internet.

Unifying these groups is Khan's message about challenging the elites and the status quo. He feeds his supporters' sense of disenfranchisement. Men, women, young and old travel by the thousands to hear him speak at open-air rallies.

His support among people in their 20s and 30s explains his party's dominance of social media, especially Twitter. Most of his powerbase lies in the eastern Punjab province and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Khan's arrest and what critics view as the government’s fixation on him have only stoked the passions of his loyalists, who say they are prepared to do anything to save him.