New Delhi: Pakistan’s Supreme Court has declared former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leader Imran Khan’s arrest ‘illegal’ and gave the orders for his immediate release. He has been asked to appear in Islamabad High Court on May 12. His arrest created a lot of unrest in the country as PTI workers and supporters got onto the streets to protest.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest has been declared “illegal” by Supreme Court which also ordered that he be released “immediately”. He has been ordered to appear in Islamabad High Court tomorrow, reports Pakistan media ARY NEWS and Geo TV pic.twitter.com/edbViBlHd8
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2023
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial ordered the release in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Imran’s lawyers argued that the NAB rangers misbehaved with him and mentioned that an arrest cannot be made when an inquiry is still being carried out.
Earlier, today the apex court ordered National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to produce the PTI chief before the court within an hour. The Chief Justice was keen to deliver the order as soon as possible in the context of the violent protests that took place amid Imran Khan’s arrest.
PTI Chairman @ImranKhanPTI in Supreme Court today. His arrest has been declared illegal. pic.twitter.com/ewwwIRfqaz
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 11, 2023
Imran was arrested from Islamabad High Court premises by paramilitary soldiers.
His arrest led to widespread protests which turned into violent clashes and reportedly eight people lost their lives and nearly 300 people were injured.
Imran Khan and his wife allegedly obtained land worth billions of rupees for their trust from property tycoon Malik Riaz to build an educational institute. NAB alleged that the deal caused a loss of more than USD 239m to the national wealth. Since he lost the power, Imran Khan has been slammed with several cases including corruption and blasphemy.
