[Politics] Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, released on bail

[Draeno]

 

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was released on bail on Friday after a detention that sparked violent protests by his supporters and was ruled illegal on Thursday.

The former leader had been arrested in connection with a corruption case on Tuesday, when he went to a high court in the capital Islamabad. But on Thursday, the country's highest court ruled that his arrest had been illegal and that the entire process should be reviewed.

"The court has granted Imran Khan bail for a period of two weeks, and has ordered the authorities not to detain him" during that period in connection with this case of alleged corruption, Khawaja Harris, one of from their lawyers.

However, the case is far from closed.

Home Minister Rana Sanaullah has vowed to re-order the arrest of Imran Khan, currently mired in a series of legal cases since he lost power in April 2022 in a vote of no confidence.

General elections are scheduled for October, and the former cricket star, who is still very po[CENSORED]r in the country, accuses the current coalition government and the army of wanting to prevent his return to power.

The 70-year-old former head of government also claimed that a high-ranking officer was implicated in a plot to assassinate him last November, which did not sit well with the army, a leading political player in the country.

- Two days of chaos -
Khan's arrest sparked two days of chaos, in which thousands of his supporters demonstrated in different cities across the country, setting fire to buildings and blocking roads.

The government deployed the army to deal with the protests, and at least nine people died in the clashes, according to police and health sources.

Hundreds of police officers were injured and more than 3,500 people were detained, the majority in Punjab and Khiber Pakhtunjua provinces, according to authorities.

With dozens of cases against him, Khan has "a long road ahead of him," analyst Imtiaz Gul told AFP.

"This is nothing more than a temporary relief, probably as part of the efforts to de-escalate an explosive situation," he said.

According to this expert, the legal cases filed against him "seem destined to keep him bogged down and incapacitate him to actively exercise politics."

 

https://www.elespectador.com/mundo/mas-paises/imran-khan-ex-primer-ministro-de-pakistan-liberado-bajo-fianza/