Imran Khan to appear before Islamabad HC, situation remains tense

Pakistan's former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, Imran Khan, will appear before the Islamabad High Court on Friday after the Supreme Court on Thursday declared his arrest "illegal" and ordered his release. To thwart the calls for protest in Islamabad by Khan's supporters, the police asserted that Section 144 was still in place and urged people not to "obstruct the legal process."

• Pakistan's Supreme Court rebuked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for arresting Khan before he could file a pre-arrest bail plea and said that the federal body had committed contempt of court by arresting Khan from the court premises.
• Khan's arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case triggered violent protests against the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) government amid a spiraling economy staring at a default.

The SC order invalidating Khan's arrest has left the ruling PML(N) red-faced. The party called the judgment "double standards of justice," accusing the PTI of inciting violent attacks. Pakistan's interior minister Rana Sanaullah vowed to arrest Khan again if he gets bail from the Islamabad HC. PTI senior vice-president Shireen Mazari and senior leader Yasmin Rashid were also arrested on Friday.

Khan is currently under the custody of the SC, which directed him on Thursday to stay at the police's guest house for the night. He was allowed to meet up to 10 people there, with the SC stating that his security was the government's responsibility. Reportedly, Pakistan's President and PTI member, Arif Alvi, met Khan and expressed shock at the country's current situation.

Expressing concern regarding human rights and press freedom issues in Pakistan, the United States said it is closely monitoring the developments while adding that it doesn't have a position on any specific candidate or party. Additionally, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) called on the protesters to refrain from violence and the security forces to exercise restraint after at least eight people died.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that Pakistan will need additional financing to successfully complete the ninth review of the bailout package. The final tranche of $1.1 billion of the total $6.5 billion package has been held up since November.