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NEW DELHI – A Pakistani court on Friday freed former prime minister Imran Khan on bail in a graft case in which his arrest earlier this week had sparked nationwide protests.
A bench of the Islamabad High Court heard Imran’s bail petition and granted him protection from arrest until May 17.
The ruling came after the Supreme Court on Thursday termed Imran’s arrest on Tuesday by a paramilitary force as illegal.
Imran in a media interview while appearing for his case hearing today described his arrest as a “kidnapping”.
“I was sitting in the (Islamabad) High Court. They had no justification to nab me. I was abducted. They showed me the warrant for the first time when they took me to jail,” he said.
“It seems as if martial law has been declared,” he said.
Many people have died and hundreds injured in the angry protests that began on Tuesday and tensions continue to prevail across Pakistan.
Protesters gathered in an area on Srinagar Highway in Islamabad, responding to Imran’s call as his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) feared he would be arrested again in new cases.
Arrests of PTI workers and prominent leaders continued today as the government tried to contain the turmoil with the army’s help.
Protests are taking place despite a government ban on public gatherings and internet services remain suspended.
During a cabinet meeting today in Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sharply criticised the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to free Imran.
The coalition government led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz plans to arrest Imran in fresh cases, even as it pursues more than 100 cases already filed in different police jurisdictions against him.
The cases cover wide-ranging charges, including inciting violence and treason, terrorism and corruption.
Imran and his party leaders have denounced the cases as trumped up, calling them part of a political campaign to stop him from taking part in new elections. – Bernama, May 12, 2023