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NEW DELHI – Pakistan’s Supreme Court today ordered former prime minister Imran Khan’s immediate release after calling his arrest by a paramilitary force from the Islamabad High Court premises on Tuesday illegal.
A three-member bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, had ordered police to bring Imran to the court.
“The manner in which the arrest was conducted cannot be tolerated,” judge Athar Minallah said, according to a local media report.
The former prime minister’s lawyers said he was manhandled during the arrest on Tuesday and ill-treated while in custody.
His arrest by the National Accountability Bureau in a graft case sparked a civil unrest, with his supporters calling the action as part of a political vendetta.
About 2,500 people, including senior leaders of Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, have been arrested since then as the government tries to quell the protests with the army's help.
Imran urged his supporters to remain peaceful.
“We only want elections in the country,” he said at the court. – Bernama, May 11, 2023
