Imran Khan released from custody after arrest ruled unlawful
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Imran KhanPrime Minister of Pakistan
Imran Khan has been released from custody after Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled his arrest was unlawful.
Supreme Court chief justice Umar Ata Bandial declared the former prime minister was wrongfully arrested earlier this week after paramilitary forces bundled him into a van outside a court.
"Your arrest was invalid so the whole process needs to be backtracked," the judge told Mr Khan at a hearing on Thursday.
Mr Khan told the court he had been "treated like a terrorist" before he was allowed to leave the court in Islamabad.
The arrest of the former cricketer turned politician on Tuesday sparked violence in Pakistan as his supporters broke into the headquarters of the army in a show of defiance against the military.
Two-day rampage
On Thursday followers of Mr Khan were seen dancing near the court building in celebration of his anticipated release, as the judge urged for calm amid growing turmoil in the country.
Thousands of enraged supporters of Mr Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party responded to his arrest by embarking on a two-day rampage through several cities as they set fire to buildings and blocked roads in protest.
At least nine people have died since Tuesday, police said.
Hundreds of police officers have been injured and more than 2,000 people arrested, mostly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, a spokesperson added.
At least eight officials from PTI's central leadership accused of orchestrating the protests were also detained.
Security forces have responded with tear gas and water cannon to quell the crowds and on Thursday came equipped with batons and riot shields.
Schools shut down
Supporters turning up to a protest venue in Karachi were swiftly rounded up while in Islamabad police beat handcuffed PTI supporters, according to journalists from the AFP news agency.
In an address to the nation late on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who took over after Khan was removed in April last year, said his predecessor was arrested because of his involvement in corruption, and claimed there was evidence to support the charge.
Mr Sharif said the unrest had “damaged sensitive public and private property,” forcing him to deploy the military in Islamabad, in Punjab, the most populous province in Pakistan, and in volatile regions of the northwest.
Amid the violence, the government shut down schools, colleges and universities in Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, where Mr Khan has huge grassroots support.
Officials also suspended internet service in various parts of the country.
“We will arrest all those who disrupted law and order,” said Mohson Naqvi, the chief minister in Punjab.
Officials say Mr Khan’s supporters in particular targeted military institutions because he has blamed the army for his ousting from power last year.
The military has denied it played a role in Mr Khan’s removal after he lost a no-confidence vote in his leadership.
