Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan was granted bail for two weeks by the Islamabad high court in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Friday. Khan, 70, the chief of PTI, appeared before the same court from which he was dragged and arrested on Tuesday. Friday’s court session was part of a series of complex legal manoeuvres.
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On Thursday, the Pakistan Supreme Court declared that Khan’s arrest was unlawful, but then asked the Islamabad high court to reconsider its initial decision to uphold the arrest. The Supreme Court said it would respect whatever the Islamabad court rules. The government has said it would quickly re-arrest Khan if the high court upheld its earlier order.
Meanwhile, According to Dawn newspaper, there were reports that a team of the Lahore Police had left for Islamabad to arrest Khan in a number of cases registered against him in Punjab province. The police team is headed by the deputy inspector general (investigation).
It was reported that the joint investigation team probing cases against Khan has informed the Islamabad high court that it seeks the arrest of the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
Imran Khan faces 121 cases across the country, including for committing treason and blasphemy and inciting violence and terrorism. Twelve cases of terrorism have been registered against Khan in Lahore and 14 cases have been registered in Faisalabad.
His arrest, on Tuesday, triggered massive protests across the country. His supporters attacked military installations, burned vehicles, and ambulances and looted general stores in various parts of the country. The government responded with a crackdown, arresting nearly 3,000 people.
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