Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday was granted two weeks of bail by Islamabad High Court in an alleged corruption case, a day aꦡfter the Supreme Court called his arrest "invalid and unlawful", NDTV report said.
The Islamabad 🥂High Court upheld Khan's arrest but a thr🌼ee-member Supreme Court bench on Thursday had declared his detention "illegal" and ordered his immediate release.
The Friday hearing was delayed for nearly two hours due to secur🐼ity reasons.
Khan was arres✨ted Tuesdayﷺ in the Al-Qadir Trust case by authorities following the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) order to probe him in the alleged corruption when he was present in the premises of the IHC.
The IHC upheld his arrest but the Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated his incarceration declaring no one could be arrested from inside the court and ordered his release as it directed poli🌄ce to keep him in the Sup🐈reme Court’s protection and produce him before the high court at 11 am.
"The manner of execution of the arrest warrant issꦇued by the Chairman, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) dated 01.05.2023 in the Al-Qadir Trust case within the premises of the Islamabad High Court against petitioner is invalid and unlawful," the Supreme Court said in its written orde𓆉rs issued late at night.
Earlier during the hearing, the court remarked that since Khan had surrendered to the high court where he was present to secure p💞re-arrest bail in the case, the entire process should start from the same point where it was interrupted by his ✃arrest.
"The petitioner is directed to be produced before the Islamabad High Court tomorrow i.e. 12.05.2023 at 11:00 am for hearing of his Writ Petition filed to challenge the NAB action agai𓆉nstﷺ him in the Al-Qadir Trust Case," it said in its orders.
It also directed Khan to follow the decision taken by ꧋the high court on his petitions.
"This (Supreme Court) order shall remain valid until the production of the petitioner before the High Court in the afꩲorementioned Writ Petition tomorrow i.e. 12.05.ꦉ2023 at 11:00 am and shall be subject to any order that is passed by the High Court," the Supreme Court said.
Meanwhile, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in a message asked his followers to reach at 10 am to the G-13 area, which is not far away from the IHC, fo🅺r Khan's address, implying that the party leader intends to make a speech before his ap﷽pearance in the court as he was not sure if the high court would give him relief.
The Supreme Court also ordered the Islamabad Police t༒o make proper arrangements for the security of the former p🥀remier.
Earlier in his statement in the Supreme Court, Khan urged his followers to remain peaceful after two-days of massive violence that witnessed vandalism, arson and bloodshed, stoking concerns about a civil war in😼 the country.
After the apex court intervention in the arrest case, a semblance of calm was restored in the country but permanent peace depends on the ultimate faꦚte of Khan who faces scoresꦏ of cases and runs from one court to another to secure bails.
