The Islamabad High Court has granted former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan two weeks bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The judgement came just one day after the Supreme Court ruled that his arrest was “invalid and unlawful.” Khan, the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, appeared in the same court where he was previously detained. Following the courts decision, Khans lawyers appealed for similar protection in other corruption cases, hoping to avoid more government arrests. Babar Awan, Khans chief lawyer, expressed relief with the ruling, noting that Khan is now “a free man.”The administration, on the other hand, claims that Khans release will motivate and worsen mob violence. The initial arrest sparked significant riots around the country, with Khan supporters attacking military posts, setting fire to vehicles and ambulances, and looting stores in various places. As a result, the authorities initiated a crackdown and arrested nearly 3,000 people. The violence resulted in the death of at least 10 Khan supporters, while dozens of protesters and over 200 police officers were injured.Image: TwitterThe court hearing on Friday was part of a complicated legal procedure. The Pakistan Supreme Court declared Khans arrest illegal on Thursday but asked the Islamabad High Court to revisit its previous ruling sustaining the arrest. The Supreme Court promised to accept the conclusion of the Islamabad courts verdict, while the government committed to re-arrest Khan immediately if the high court affirmed the earlier order.There were also rumours of a Lahore Police squad travelling to Islamabad to capture Khan in connection with multiple cases brought against him in Punjab province. According to a local newspaper, the squad, commanded by the deputy inspector general of investigations, was charged with apprehending the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Notably, Khan is facing 121 cases across the country, including treason, blasphemy, instigation of violence, and terrorism. Among these, 12 terrorism cases have been filed in Lahore, while 14 have been filed in Faisalabad.
