Supporters cheer court ruling that Imran Khan’s arrest was illegal

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Massed outside former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Lahore residence, supporters cheered on news Pakistan’s Supreme Court had ordered his release on Thursday.

His lawyer said the Court had reversed all legal proceedings against Khan and that he needed to present himself to the Islamabad High Court on Friday morning.

Khan’s arrest on Tuesday in a land fraud case sparked deadly and widespread protests across the South Asian country and the government called the army to help restore order.

The violence that spilled over after his arrest has aggravated instability in the country of 220 million people that is grappling with a severe economic crisis, eroding hopes of a quick resumption of an IMF (International Monetary Fund) bailout.

Nearly 2 000 people have been arrested and at least five killed after Khan’s supporters clashed with police, attacked military establishments and set other state buildings and assets ablaze, prompting the government to call out the army to help restore order.

Khan has showed no sign of slowing down since being ousted in April 2022 as prime minister in a parliamentary no-confidence vote – even after being wounded in a November attack on his convoy as he led a protest march to Islamabad calling for snap general elections.

His arrest came at a time when Pakistanis are reeling from the worst economic crisis in decades, with record high inflation and anemic growth. The IMF bailout package has been delayed for months even though foreign exchange reserves are barely enough to cover a month’s imports.

The graft case is one of more than 100 registered against Khan since his ouster after four years in power. In most of the cases, Khan risks being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled for November.