Former Prime Minister Khan has been provisionally released on bail in Pakistan. Earlier, the country’s Supreme Court ruled his arrest unlawful. The deposit is valid for two weeks.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been temporarily released on bail following nationwide protests against his arrest. A court in Islamabad granted Khan two weeks at liberty, his lawyer Khawaja Harris said. The day before, the country’s Supreme Court had declared the arrest of the former prime minister on charges of corruption “invalid and illegal”.
Khan was arrested by paramilitary forces outside Islamabad’s Supreme Court on Tuesday. Khan’s arrest had led to days of sometimes violent protests by supporters of his party, the Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI). According to doctors and police, at least nine people were killed and several hundred injured.
Government wants to arrest Khan again
Regardless of the judiciary’s decision, the government announced that it intends to have the former head of government arrested again. If Khan “is released on bail by the court, we will wait for the bail to be lifted and arrest him again,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said before the court hearing.
Several corruption allegations are pending against the ex-prime minister and former cricket star Khan. The election commission accuses him of having kept government gifts from his time as head of government for himself. Khan describes the prosecution as politically motivated.
Conviction could mean political end
According to polls, Khan is currently the most popular politician in the country, especially among young people. As a populist, he is repeatedly accused of hardly offering any political solutions. Nevertheless, the support of the population is strong.
If convicted, Khan could be barred from returning to public office. In November, new elections will be held in the country with around 220 million inhabitants. About a year ago, Khan was overthrown as prime minister by a vote of no confidence. Since then, he has maintained that his dismissal was illegal. He repeatedly called for new elections.