- Ruling PMLN party leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif slams court decision, asks chief justice to step down and join Khan’s PTI party
- Khan to be kept under protection of security forces at safe location in Islamabad, will appear before Islamabad High Court on Friday
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top court on Thursday said the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court earlier this week was illegal and ordered his immediate release, as fresh clashes broke down between the ex-premier’s supporters and police in the federal capital.
Khan was arrested on Tuesday afternoon by Rangers on the orders of the country’s anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which is investigating Khan and his wife in a case involving a land bribe. Over 100 cases have been registered against Khan since he was removed from the PM’s office in April last year in a parliamentary no-trust vote. He says the cases are politically motivated.
Khan’s arrest sparked two days of protests in Pakistan in which at least six people have been killed. Supporters blocked roads across the country, torched trucks and cars in the streets, clashed with police and ransacked and damaged multiple government buildings, including military properties. In response, authorities have arrested almost 3,000 people across the country.
On Wednesday, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court, which a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial took up on Thursday, declaring the arrest “illegal” and asking Khan to refer back to the IHC.
Though Khan was released from custody, he will be under the protection of security forces at a safe location in Islamabad, the head of his legal team, Babar Awan, told reporters. He is to appear before the Islamabad High Court tomorrow, Friday, Awan said.
Earlier, before Khan arrived in the court, Bandial said his arrest from inside the IHC on Tuesday had “violated the sanctity” of the judiciary.
“Where did the sanctity of the court go when Khan was arrested from the court premises,” the chief justice remarked during the hearing. “What was left of the honor of the court when 90 people entered the court premises? NAB has disrespected the court.” ARAB NEWS
