demonstrations
Lawyers: Pakistan’s ex-prime minister Khan should be released
Eight people were killed in the clashes on Wednesday and at least 300 were injured. photo
© Muhammad Sajjad/AP/dpa
Pakistan has not calmed down after the arrest of ex-Prime Minister Khan. Demonstrators fight with the police. Meanwhile, Khan’s release has already been ordered.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the former Prime Minister’s release, according to lawyers for ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan. The court has declared Khan’s arrest illegal, lawyer Babar Awan told local TV stations after a hearing at the courthouse. As is usual in such cases, there was no official notification from the Supreme Court.
According to his lawyers, Khan is due to appear before the Islamabad High Court on Friday and will remain in police custody until then. The popular opposition leader was taken away from a court in the Pakistani capital on Tuesday, to a great deal of attention. On Wednesday he was charged with allegedly stealing state gifts.
demonstrations for the release
Khan’s arrest sparked riots in several cities across the country. Thousands of his supporters demonstrated for the 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 switched off indefinitely and access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube was blocked.
In April 2022, a vote of no confidence ousted Khan as prime minister after nearly four years in office. Since then, the judiciary has brought new allegations against him. He has to answer in court in around 100 cases. The allegations are about corruption, money laundering and insulting a judge. Observers see the actions against Khan as politically motivated.