The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s arrest “illegal,” and also directed for his immediate release, reported ARY News.
The major relief for the former prime minister came shortly after he was presented in court. Khan, who was removed from office as prime minister last year in April, was ordered by the SC to present himself at 4:30 pm, but he was produced at around 5:40 pm, more than an hour later.
He was carried in a 15-vehicle convoy.
Khan was ordered to appear in court after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial described the PTI leader’s detention from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises as a mighty disgrace to the country’s legal system, as per ARY News.
The CJP made the comment while presiding over a three-person bench debating the PTI’s appeal challenging Khan’s arrest. The bench also contains Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Athal Minallah in addition to the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court by PTI, a day earlier challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision calling Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) “legal,” according to ARY News.
Khan was arrested on Tuesday inside the premises of Islamabad High Court when he appeared before the court in two cases.
Ever since Khan’s arrest, Pakistan has been witnessing a situation of unrest. Several protests have broken out across the country as PTI has urged its supporters to come out in support of Imran Khan.
On the other hand, the PTI has asked its supporters to stay away from the top court, ARY News reported.