Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan was unlawful, overturning a lower court’s ruling on Tuesday that it was legal.
The court ordered that Khan be released, according to officials in Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Khan was arrested on May 9 by paramilitary troops in a sudden operation that saw officers smash their way into a courthouse in the capital Islamabad to detain him on multiple corruption charges.
He was then detained in a guesthouse inside police headquarters where he appeared for a special hearing in front of a judge behind closed doors on Wednesday before being remanded in custody for eight days for a charge brought by Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency.
Khan’s lawyers had petitioned against judicial proceedings against their client taking place in police headquarters instead of a courthouse. Police had justified the move, saying it was to keep Khan away from the public to maintain law and order.
Credit: cnn.com
