Pakistan’s Supreme Court rules former PM Imran Khan’s arrest was illegal
Pakistan’s top court has declared the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan illegal and called for him to be immediately released.
Khan was arrested on corruption charges but his lawyers argued that his detention from the court premises in Islamabad on Tuesday was unlawful. The arrest of Khan has only heightened tensions and violent protests have erupted since his arrest.
During the court proceedings, Khan claimed he had been kidnapped from the High Court and physically assaulted. Video footage showed paramilitary forces seizing and dragging Khan, who had previously been injured in a gun attack, before taking him away in an armoured vehicle.
Khan was ousted in a confidence vote last April. His party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), says the cases against Khan are politically motivated.