Pakistan's Supreme Court orders immediate release of Imran Khan

Nepal Views

Kathmandu: 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 Supreme Court termed PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case ‘unlawful’ and directed him to appear before the Islamabad High Court tomorrow.

It instructed that Imran should be ‘immediately released’.

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 killed and dozens injured after Khan’s supporters clashed with police in several cities.