Ex-PM Imran Khan freed on bail by Pakistan High Court
- Khan’s arrest on corruption charges, which led to deadly clashes, was declared illegal by the court, which ruled he could not be arrested again before Monday
- But former prime minister’s legal woes are far from over, with him tangled in a slew of legal cases and with the interior minister vowing to rearrest him
The court also granted bail to Khan in other pending cases and ruled that he could not be arrested again before Monday.
Several thousand of his supporters have rampaged through cities across the country in protest at Khan’s detention since Tuesday, setting fire to buildings, blocking roads and clashing with police outside military installations.
“The head of the country’s largest party was abducted, kidnapped from the high court, and in front of the entire nation,” Khan said from the court building. “They treated me like a terrorist, this had to have a reaction,” he said of the protests that followed.
He left the court premises around 10.30pm – hours after the hearings ended – to travel to the city of Lahore, some 380km (240 miles) from the capital, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said.