Khan freed on bail after arrest Supreme Court dubbed 'unlawful'
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Detained former Pakistan Prime Minister was due to appear in court earlier today, shortly after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled his arrest is "unlawful".
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Pakistan's former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, along with his supporters walks as he leaves the district High Court in Lahore, Pakistan February 20, 2023 (Reuters)
The Islamabad High Court freed on bail former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday, after his "unlawful" arrest on corruption accusations this week provoked fatal protests.
Khan was also granted bail in other ongoing matters, and the court decided that he could not be detained again until Monday. He was due to appear in court today shortly after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled the arrest of Khan is "unlawful" and ordered his immediate release.
The former PM was taken into custody on Monday by authorities following a hearing on Al-Qadir Trust case.
Read more: Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan survives assassination attempt
The former Premier's arrest followed months of political crisis and came hours after the powerful military criticized the former PM for accusing a senior officer of being involved in a plot to assassinate him.
Since Tuesday, thousands of his supporters have taken to the streets and were met with brutal police crackdown, resulting in the death of a few of them.
Khan told AFP from the court building that the "head of the country's largest party was abducted, kidnapped from the high court, and in front of the entire nation."
"They treated me like a terrorist, this had to have a reaction."
Nearly 1,000 people have been detained in Punjab since protests broke out following the arrest of Khan.
In a statement, the police reported the arrest of "945 lawbreakers and miscreants from across the province."
Local media reported at least eight people were killed and 290 were injured in light of the clashes.
Internet phone services and access to social media sites, including as Facebook and YouTube, which had been suspended quickly after Khan's arrest on Tuesday, were gradually restored across the country late Friday.
After Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called for supporters to congregate, Islamabad police issued an emergency order prohibiting any gatherings in the capital city
Faisal Hussain Chaudhry, a lawyer for Khan, said the country "needs peace but such steps by the government are not helpful."
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah remained determined to arrest Khan, telling Dunya TV that "if (Khan) gets bail from the High Court tomorrow, we will wait for the cancellation of bail and arrest him again."
