Days after his detention on corruption allegations caused a fatal uprising against the military in Pakistan, Imran Khan, the country’s former prime minister, has been granted bail by the Islamabad High Court.
Khan left the court on Friday to go back to Lahore while being guarded by the police. Even though a court order prevents officials from detaining him until Monday on any charges, he predicted before departing that he might be arrested again.
“I know that I will be unlawfully detained once more, this time outside the High Court. How am I meant to control what happens next, is my clear message. Khan informed the media.
He urged his followers to practise nonviolence and added that if he were to be arrested once more, he would not be held accountable for the demonstrators’ response.
“I have been in politics for 27 years… Show me a message that is distinct from this one.Every time, I’ve urged my supporters to observe the law. Protest, but do it peacefully.Even now, when I tell them to protest, I advise them to do so in a nonviolent manner because we have never breached the law. I’ve said it consistently, Khan said.
One day after Pakistan’s Supreme Court declared that Khan’s detention last week by the country’s anti-graft agency, the National Accountability Bureau, was illegal, the ex-leader was given the two-week temporary release on bond on Friday.
Khan’s party has submitted a petition to refute the allegations that he had illegally acquired land.
The powerful army head of the nation was accused by Khan shortly after his arrest: “There is only one man taking action against me and that is the army chief,” Khan said to reporters on Friday in court, referring to General Syed Asim Munir.
Khan added that his wife had been given an arrest warrant. “I am positive that I will be detained once more. In advance of his hearing, Khan told CNN outside the courtroom, “I was given permission by the NAB to talk to my wife, and arrest warrants have also been issued for her.
Early on Saturday, bullets were heard outside close to the court. According to the police, they have made two arrests and are looking into what transpired.
Following his removal from power in a no-confidence vote in the parliament last year, Khan has spearheaded a successful campaign against the current administration of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, alleging that it conspired with senior military figures to remove him from office and bar him from politics.
Additionally, he has made assertions that the government conspired with the United States to have him removed from power, claims that both countries have refuted.
Khan’s assertions that the army was connected to other alleged attempts on his life were previously denied by the army.
Following Khan’s arrest, unheard-of images of rebellious mobs smashing into military buildings and torching army personnel’s homes surfaced, directly confronting an untouchable force that has long held the balance of power in Pakistan.
In an effort to control the mayhem, the government has blocked mobile internet services, preventing access to social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube as well as important delivery apps and even online payment systems.
According to authorities, hundreds have been detained around the country and at least eight people have died.
For “inciting arson and violent protests,” the police have also detained numerous senior members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The 220 million-person country is currently experiencing a severe economic crisis, with citizens unable to pay for food and fuel due to skyrocketing inflation, which is raising concerns about the stability of the nation in Pakistan’s election year.
