Iran Press/ Asia: Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered that Imran Khan be immediately released after the former prime minister was arrested by the country’s anti-corruption agency.
The top court’s order on Thursday came after Khan’s legal team challenged his arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday.
The three-member bench of the court declared Khan’s arrest illegal, providing a major relief for the chairman of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
The bench had heard the petition over the legality of Khan’s arrest earlier in the day and ordered authorities to bring him to court within an hour.
Khan’s shock arrest has triggered violent protests across the country, prompting the government to call out the army to help restore order.
Authorities have also arrested at least three senior leaders of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party as of Thursday, including a former foreign minister in his cabinet during his premiership between 2018 and 2022.
A total of nearly 2,500 people have been arrested so far and at least 11 were killed and dozens injured after Khan’s supporters clashed with police in several cities.
PTI supporters have attacked military establishments and set other state buildings and assets ablaze.
Tensions remained high on Thursday with paramilitary troops and police on the streets in big cities.
Footage shared by an Islamabad police official showed military vehicles with mounted guns lined up on the side of a road and soldiers holding assault rifles.
Mobile data services remained suspended and schools and offices were closed in two of Pakistan’s four provinces. Social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram have been blocked.
The action against Khan, 70, a cricket hero-turned-politician and Pakistan’s most popular leader according to polls, has aggravated instability in the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people that is grappling with a severe economic crisis.
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