Khan’s arrest ruled unlawful as two days of riots come to an end

IMRAN KHAN’S arrest has been quashed by the Supreme Court, prompting jubilation from supporters after two days of riots.

Judges ruled that the arrest of the former prime minister, which sparked widespread clashes and at least 10 deaths this week, had been unlawful.

The decision was hailed by his supporters and marked the latest twist in a year-long confrontation between Mr Khan and Pakistan’s government and military. The 70-year-old was told that he will remain in a police safe house for his own protection, but can be accompanied by family members, his lawyers said. He is due back in court today.

Mr Khan, the former cricketer, has been hit with a flurry of corruption charges since he was removed from power last year by a parliamentary noconfidence vote.

He claims he was ousted by a Usbacked conspiracy and the charges are politically motivated to block him from returning to power. He has called for snap polls ahead of scheduled elections later this year.

On Tuesday, Mr Khan had been in court for one set of charges, when anticorruption agents dragged him away in connection with another set of charges. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial told Mr Khan: “Your arrest was invalid so the whole process needs to be backtracked.

“What we propose is that Islamabad police need to provide security, and [Khan] will provide a list of his immediate family members and lawyers that should meet him at police lines headquarters.” Supporters of Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) party attacked state and military installations after the arrest, setting fire to buildings and blocking roads.

Hundreds of police officers have been injured and more than 2,000 people arrested, mostly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The government had accused Mr Khan of inciting violence, while the military had warned there would be severe retaliation if his supporters continued to attack army installations.

Troops were deployed on the streets of three provinces and the interior ministry ordered mobile internet services cut and restricted access to social media sites.

The turmoil came as the country is deep in an economic crisis and attempting to avoid default. Pakistan’s rupee tumbled to a fresh low against the dollar yesterday.

‘Your arrest was invalid so the whole process needs to be backtracked... police will provide security’