According to lawyers for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan’s highest court has ordered the release of the former Prime Minister. The court has declared Khan’s arrest illegal, lawyer Babar Awan told local broadcasters today after a court hearing. As usual in these cases, there was no official notification from the Federal Supreme Court.
Charged just yesterday
According to his lawyers, Khan is due to appear in the Islamabad High Court tomorrow and will remain in police custody until then. The popular opposition leader was led from a courtroom in the Pakistani capital on Tuesday to much attention. Yesterday he was accused of allegedly stealing gifts from the state.
Riots in various cities
Khan’s arrest sparked riots in several cities across the country. Thousands of his supporters protested for his release and engaged in violent clashes with security forces. According to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, eight people died on Wednesday alone and at least 300 were injured. Schools and universities have been closed since Wednesday. At the same time, the mobile Internet was shut down indefinitely, and access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube was blocked.
In April 2022, a no-confidence vote ousted Khan as prime minister after nearly four years in office. Since then, the judiciary brought new charges against him. He has to answer in court in about 100 cases. The allegations are about corruption, money laundering and insulting a judge. Observers see the actions against Khan as politically motivated.