The USGS said the quake was centred near Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan and had a depth of 187km.

The clashes between Khan's supporters and the security forces have brought a new round of political chaos to the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people, which is in the midst of a crippling economic crisis.

Khan says the government and the powerful military are trying to stop him from contesting the next election, scheduled for November.

The 70-year-old has been tangled in a slew of court cases since he was ousted in a no-confidence motion last year and has been pressuring the fragile coalition government which replaced him to hold early elections.

The arrest warrant was issued by a court in Islamabad when Khan failed to appear before it over charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries when he was prime minister from 2018 to 2022.

Security forces withdrew the house in the eastern city of Lahore, easing political instability in the nuclear-armed nation which is struggling with an economic crisis and awaiting an IMF bailout.

The violence adds to the instability in nuclear-armed Pakistan, which is struggling with an economic crisis and awaiting an International Monetary Fund bailout.

The court in Islamabad had issued the arrest warrant in a case against Khan on charges of threatening a judge in one of his speeches last year.

Khan was routed from office in a no-confidence motion last year and has been pressuring the fragile coalition which replaced him with daily speeches, regular rallies and allegations of corruption.

The election commission of Pakistan had in October found the 70-year-old cricket-hero-turned politician guilty of unlawfully selling gifts from foreign dignitaries.

Imran Khan obtains respite from arrest for two weeks in a case that involves charges under the country's anti-terrorism laws.

A gun battle had raged for hours as security forces went floor-to-floor through an office building in pursuit of the assailants.