Ex Pakistan PM Imran Khan Granted Bail
After his detention on corruption-related allegations this week provoked fatal confrontations before being ruled illegal, former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on Friday.
In addition, the high court decided that Khan could not be detained before Monday in connection with any other case brought against him.
Since Tuesday, thousands of his fans have rampaged through cities all throughout the nation in opposition to Khan’s detention, setting fire to structures, obstructing roadways, and squabbling with law enforcement in front of military posts.
Khan told AFP from the courthouse, where he lingered late on Friday after his hearings finished, “The head of the country’s largest party was kidnapped from the high court and in front of the entire nation.”
He explained the subsequent protests by saying, “They treated me like a terrorist, this had to have a reaction.”
As gunshots were fired at police after midnight by protesters who had assembled a few kilometers from the tightly guarded court, Islamabad police tweeted without providing any additional information.
Since he was removed from power in April of last year, Imran Khan has become embroiled in a number of legal claims, which is a common danger for opposition politicians in Pakistan.
According to unbiased experts, he had begun an unparalleled campaign of defiance against the military, which they claim assisted in his ascent to and fall from power.
The former cricket star claims the unstable existing coalition government replaced him in collusion with senior generals in advance of the upcoming military elections in October.
The 70-year-old has also made shocking allegations that they staged an attempt on his life in November during which he was shot in the leg while running for office.
Khan was taken into custody by paramilitary personnel on shaky hands on Tuesday at the Islamabad High Court, but the Supreme Court later ruled that the detention was illegal and urged a “backtrack” in the proceedings.
According to Imran Khan‘s attorneys, he went back to Islamabad High Court on Friday and was given two weeks of interim bail in the graft case as well as in all other matters brought against him until at least Monday.
The lawyers for his party assembled in front of the court screamed, “Khan, your devotees are countless,” as the overthrown leader lifted a fist above his head.
Khan, who is still incredibly popular, will be detained again, the interior minister has vowed.
Difficult Legal Situations
According to police and hospitals, his arrest caused disturbances that resulted in at least nine fatalities.
According to authorities, hundreds of police personnel were hurt and more than 4,000 individuals were detained, largely in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Khan’s arrest was illegal, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said on Thursday, because it happened while Khan was at the courthouse preparing to submit a bail application.
He declared that the entire process needed to be reversed since “your arrest was illegal.”
For his own safety, Imran Khan stayed in the bench’s supervision and under police protection until he arrived on Friday at the Islamabad High Court, where a large security presence had been assembled and the surrounding highways had been closed.
Nation Needs Peace
After Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called for followers to congregate, Islamabad police declared an emergency order prohibiting any gathering in the capital city.
An attorney for Imran Khan, Faisal Hussain Chaudhry, told reporters that ten prominent PTI leaders have now been detained as a result of additional arrests.
“The country needs peace, but such government actions are ineffective,” he remarked.
Despite the decision regarding the legitimacy of Imran Khan‘s arrest, Rana Sanaullah, the interior minister, steadfastly stood his ground on Thursday.
According to Sanaullah, if (Imran Khan) receives bail from the High Court tomorrow, “we will wait for the cancellation of bail and arrest him again.”
The army reprimanded Imran Khan for repeatedly repeating claims that they were complicit in his assassination attempt, leading to his imprisonment.
Since Pakistan’s formation in 1947, politicians there have frequently been detained and imprisoned.
But few have so openly opposed a military that has dominated for more than three decades, has influence over both domestic and foreign affairs, and has conducted at least three coups.
