Supreme Court orders immediate release of Imran Khan

Imran Khan (File photo)

  • Supreme Court declares Khan’s arrest illegal
  • PTI supporters celebrate the top court order
  • No one can be arrested from court premises: SC

In a significant turn of event, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday evening termed the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan “illegal”  and ordered immediate release of the embattled Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief whose arrest from the court premises a couple of days ago trigger massive outrage across the Islamic Republic.

Khan was produced before the top court amid tight security.  He was remanded in custody for eight days on corruption charges on Wednesday, the culmination of a rare campaign of defiance against the powerful military.

According to sources, Imran Khan told the top court that he was beaten up with lathis while in custody. He reportedly also said that he should not be held responsible for the street violence and arson when he was held in custody. He appealed to the people to not destroy public property, according to a private television channel of Pakistan.

When Khan was asked if he was to say something, he told the 3-judge bench, “I was abducted by the Rangers who picked me by breaking glasses of the court premise. I was thrashed and taken as a terrorist. My phone was snatched.”

Security was tightened outside the apex court, with contingents of the Rangers and police, and bomb disposal squads called in. Only lawyers and journalists already present in courtroom number 1 — where the hearing held — were allowed inside the room, according to The Dawn.  The media also reported that the Islamabad DIG (security) has reached the court to review the security situation.

Earlier in the day, a three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah directed the the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)  to present the PTI chief before the court.

The directives were issued as the SC heard the former prime minister’s plea against his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The top court of the Islamic Republic observed that the agency committed “contempt of court” by entering the court premises and arresting him without permission from the court’s registrar. “What dignity remains of the court if 90 people entered its premises? How can any individual be arrested from court premises?” the chief justice was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

“In the past, action has been taken against lawyers for vandalism inside the court,” the bench observed. The court said: “If an individual has surrendered to the court, then what does arresting them mean?” The top judge said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had committed “contempt of court”.

The arrest of 70-year-0ld embattled politician has enraged PTI supporters, who clashed with security forces in several cities and marched up to the headquarters of the army.

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