Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan released on bail

Pakistan’s former prime minister and current opposition leader Imran Khan has been provisionally released on bail. The higher-ranking Supreme Court had previously declared his arrest unlawful on corruption charges and granted him bail for two weeks, Pakistani media reports.

The popular opposition leader was taken away from a court in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Tuesday, to a great deal of attention. On Wednesday he was charged with allegedly stealing state gifts. According to the decision of the higher court, Khan should not be arrested in connection with other allegations until next Wednesday.

After the former cricket star was jailed, violent clashes broke out between his supporters and security forces in several cities, killing at least eight people and injuring 300, according to the Home Office.

allegations against the police

Human rights organizations accuse the police of extreme violence in cracking down on the protests. Schools and universities will remain closed until Monday. In addition, the mobile Internet was switched off indefinitely and access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube was blocked.

In April 2022, a vote of no confidence ousted Khan as prime minister after nearly four years in office. Since then, the judiciary has brought new allegations against him. He has to answer in court in around 100 cases. The allegations are about corruption, money laundering and insulting a judge. Observers see the actions against Khan as politically motivated.

uh/kle (dpa, afp, rtr)