“Treated like a terrorist”
Court rules arrest of ex-PM Khan invalid
May 11, 2023, 6:50 p.m
His arrest caused a storm of indignation among his supporters. At least nine people died and hundreds were arrested. Now the Supreme Court in Pakistan has declared that the arrest of ex-Prime Minister Khan is invalid. But he still has to remain in custody.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ruled the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan “invalid”. The “entire process” must be “backtracked,” said chief judge Umar Ata Bandial at the Khan’s hearing in Islamabad. For his own safety, the ex-head of government should remain in custody until a further hearing on Friday.
According to Judge Bandial, the capital police should ensure Khan’s safety. The ex-prime minister should make a list of family members and lawyers who could meet him at police headquarters.
The police station where Khan was taken after his arrest should now be considered a “residence,” Bandial said. The judge denied Khan’s request to be allowed to return to his estate in a suburb of Islamabad. The former prime minister said in court that he was “treated like a terrorist”.
Violent protests after arrest
Khan was arrested in Islamabad on Tuesday on corruption charges. His detention had sparked violent protests across the country. According to doctors and police, at least nine people were killed. Hundreds of police officers were injured and more than 2,000 people were arrested across the country, particularly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had taken legal action against the arrest. Judge Bandial then summoned the ex-premier to the hearing.
Security forces patrolled the streets across the country this Thursday and arrested Khan’s supporters. At least eight PTI officials have been arrested. The police accused them of organizing the protests. Because of the protests, soldiers were stationed in Islamabad. Police said the military was stationed in the capital’s sensitive “red zone” where government buildings are located.
Several corruption cases are pending against former prime minister and former cricket star Khan. The Pakistani election commission accuses him of having kept government gifts from his time as prime minister for himself. Khan describes the prosecution as politically motivated.
Khan came to power in Pakistan in 2018 on a promise to fight corruption and nepotism. During his reign, however, his relationship with the powerful military that had sustained his rise to power increasingly deteriorated. Almost a year ago, he was overthrown by a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly. Conservative politician Shehbaz Sharif was elected as his successor.