The Shehbaz Sharif government was left fuming on Thursday after the Pakistan Supreme Court declared the arrest of the former Pakistan prime minister illegal and asked the government to immediately release him.
In a significant ruling on Thursday, Pakistan’s SC declared the arrest of Khan on corruption charges in the Al-Qadir Trust case to be illegal.
The court has ordered Khan’s immediate release, acknowledging the argument put forth by his lawyers that his detention from the court premises in Islamabad on Tuesday was unlawful, the Dawn newspaper reported.
PTI Chairman @ImranKhanPTI in Supreme Court today. His arrest has been declared illegal. pic.twitter.com/qDmSp9e3cG— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 11, 2023
Since his arrest, violent protests have erupted across the country, resulting in the loss of at least 10 lives and the arrest of around 2,000 individuals.
The incident has further escalated tensions between Khan and the military, exacerbating an already strained relationship, following the leader’s ouster from power in April last year.
After the top court’s decision was announced, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif questioned the “double standards” in justice after the PTI chief’s arrest was termed invalid and unlawful.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the government would arrest PTI chief Imran Khan again if he gets bail from the High Court on Friday.
“We will arrest him again. If he gets bail from the High Court tomorrow, we will wait for the cancellation of bail and arrest him again,” he told Dunya TV, according to AFP.
On Friday, Khan will once again face the graft charges brought by the National Accountability Bureau, which ordered his arrest after saying he failed to respond to multiple court summonses.
Over the past few days, several thousand supporters have rampaged through cities around the country, setting fire to buildings and blocking roads, incensed by their leader’s arrest.
At least nine people have died in the unrest, police and hospitals said.
Hundreds of police officers have been injured and more than 2,000 people arrested, mostly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, according to authorities.
Security forces have responded with tear gas and water cannon to quell the crowds and on Thursday came equipped with batons and riot shields.
Since Wednesday, soldiers have been deployed in two provinces — including Punjab, the most populous — and in the capital. The military warned of a “severe reaction" to any further attacks on state and military facilities.
The interior ministry ordered mobile internet services cut and restricted access to social media sites Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, Pakistan’s communications agency said.
Authorities have also closed schools nationwide, resulting in the cancellation of year-end exams.
(With agency inputs)