Policemen escort Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan as he arrives at the high court in Islamabad on Friday.
Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
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Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
Policemen escort Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan as he arrives at the high court in Islamabad on Friday.
Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani court has granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan bail in multiple cases against him, allowing for his release following his dramatic arrest earlier this week.
In one session, a bench of the Islamabad High Court granted two weeks bail to Khan in a corruption case. It was that case which led to his arrest by paramilitary forces on Tuesday from the court itself. They smashed open an office to extricate him.
In another session, a judge granted Khan bail until next Wednesday in a series of cases filed against him since his arrest.
Khan told reporters in the courtroom that he believed Pakistan’s army chief was to blame for his troubles and said the chief was effectively ruling the country.
The military did not immediately respond to his accusation. The government has accused the courts of bias toward Khan.
The 70-year-old politician still faces multiple corruption charges. Conviction would disqualify Khan from running for office in elections due later this year.
Khan and his supporters characterize these charges as “politically motivated.”
On Thursday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that Tuesday’s arrest was “unlawful” and ordered Khan to be released immediately.
Analysts consider that ruling a win for Khan, whose arrest this week sparked violent clashes in many Pakistani cities. Pro-Khan protesters launched unprecedented attacks on Pakistan’s powerful army and police installations.
“Government critics will hail this judicial activism as proof that democracy is still alive,” says Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Center. “But it also means we are seeing two parallel confrontations play out — the main one between Khan and the state, but also one between the Supreme Court and the state. Against the backdrop of the political chaos playing out, these two simultaneous clashes risk exacerbating Pakistan’s political instability in a big way.”
Government and opposition leaders had begun talks shortly before Khan’s arrest to try to reduce tensions, Kugelman says. But now, he says, “The gloves are off on both sides.”
Amid the chaos, the military accused what it called “evil elements” of inciting these attacks and accused protesters of wanting to push Pakistan into “a civil war.”
This story originally appeared on NPR
