Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was granted a two-week bail by the Islamabad high court in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Friday, a day after the Supreme Court termed his arrest “invalid and unlawful”.
Khan, 70, the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, appeared before the same court from which he was dragged and arrested on Tuesday.
Khan, however, remained in the court after the decision as his lawyers petitioned the judges for similar protection in a number of other corruption charges, trying to close off a legal avenue for the government to arrest him again. Babar Awan, Khan’s chief lawyer, praised the ruling, and said Khan was now “a free man.”
The government contends that Khan’s release rewards and encourages mob violence.
The arrest triggered massive protests across the country in which his supporters attacked military installations, burned vehicles, and ambulances and looted general stores in various parts of the country. The government responded with a crackdown, arresting nearly 3,000 people.
The violence left at least 10 Khan supporters dead. Dozens of protesters and more than 200 police officers were injured.
Friday’s court session was part of a series of complex legal manoeuvres.
On Thursday, the Pakistan Supreme Court declared that Khan’s arrest was unlawful, but then asked the Islamabad high court to reconsider its initial decision to uphold the arrest.
The Supreme Court said it would respect whatever the Islamabad court rules. The government has said it would quickly re-arrest Khan if the high court upheld its earlier order.
Meanwhile, there were reports that a team of the Lahore Police had left for Islamabad to arrest Khan in a number of cases registered against him in Punjab province.
The police team is headed by the deputy inspector general (investigation), the Dawn newspaper reported.
It was reported that the joint investigation team probing cases against Khan has informed the Islamabad high court that it seeks the arrest of the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
Khan faces 121 cases across the country, including for committing treason and blasphemy and inciting violence and terrorism.
Twelve cases of terrorism have been registered against Khan in Lahore and 14 cases have been registered in Faisalabad.
(With inputs from agencies)
