Latest Imran Khan arrest updates: Ex-Pakistan PM granted bail
All the updates from May 12 as they happened.
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the fallout from Imran Khan’s arrest on Friday, May 12
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the fallout from Imran Khan’s arrest on Friday, May 12
- Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been granted a two week bail by Islamabad High Court on Friday in a graft case.
- Khan had earlier arrived in court after the Supreme Court ruled his arrest earlier this week “unlawful”.
- The dramatic arrest on Tuesday triggered clashes with police and paramilitary forces across the country, killing nearly a dozen people. The army was called in to restore order.
- Police in the capital, Islamabad, have imposed an emergency order banning gathering of more than four people.
Khan to depart for residence in Lahore, PTI says
The PTI says Khan will depart for his Zaman Park residence in Lahore from the Islamabad High Court.
The party said in a tweet that Khan will be accompanied by supporters along his journey.
Lahore is the provincial capital of the eastern province of Punjab and is located 380km (236 miles) south of Islamabad, the federal capital.
Khan asks: ‘How can I be responsible’ for reaction in Pakistan?
Khan has asked how he could be held responsible for any “reaction” in the country to his arrest.
“I will be arrested again, and there will be a reaction, and then I will be held responsible,” he told reporters inside the courtroom after being granted bail. “How can I be responsible for this? When the army arrests me as if I am a terrorist, will I still be responsible for a reaction? I do not know what is happening in the country.”
He added that when a crowd has no leader, it has no control.
“We have had historic rallies, and we never had any such issues. There were sit-ins under my leadership and my control. I have always warned to not take the country to a point from where it gets out of our hands,” he said.
According to media reports, Khan is still waiting to receive written orders from the court, after which he is expected to return to Zaman Park, his Lahore residence.
Khan blames army chief for situation in country
After being granted bail, Khan has blamed the army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, for the situation in the country.
“It’s not the security institution; it is just one man, the army chief. There is no democracy in the army. The army is getting maligned by what is happening right now in the country,” Khan told reporters in the courtroom.
“That one man is afraid that when I come to power, I will remove him from his positions, but I will do no such thing.”
"It's one man, the Army Chief". – says #imranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/gwzSuU9yVI
— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) May 12, 2023
Khan granted bail by Islamabad court
No arrest until May 15, court says
The Islamabad High Court has ordered that Khan cannot be arrested in any case which were registered against him in Lahore or Islamabad till at least May 15.
According to media reports, the ex-prime minister will depart once written orders are issued after today’s hearings.
No ‘precedent’ for such verdict: Minister
Reacting to the Islamabad High Court’s decision to grant bail to Khan, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah says such a ruling had never been issued before.
“There is no precedent of such a verdict given to anybody. However, court orders will not be violated,” he said, while speaking to a private news channel.
Sanaullah said the government will appeal to cancel Khan’s bail will give him no concessions.
Moreover, he said on the issue of internet restrictions in the country, saying the government had planned to shut it off for two to three days – but will consult Prime Minister Sharif on future steps to potentially restore it.
Imran Khan arrest: Politically motivated?
Thousands protested in a show of anger over the past few days after Khan’s arrest earlier this week in a corruption case – much of it directed at the military.
Pakistan is already dealing with multiple challenges – from an economic crisis to the aftermath of catastrophic floods.
Watch below:
Protests not ‘constitutional’: PM Sharif
Prime Minister Sharif has said the protests over the past couple of days could not be called “constitutional and democratic”.
“This is terrorism and anti-nationalism which cannot be accepted under any circumstances,” Sharif said, according to a statement from his office.
During a cabinet meeting earlier today, Sharif criticised what it called an “extraordinary intervention” of the country’s Supreme Court chief justice in the matter of Khan’s arrest on Tuesday – which the court declared illegal on Thursday.
“This is a shameful stain on the forehead of justice,” Sharif said, calling the top court for its “double standards”.
Protests to continue: PTI
The PTI says peaceful protests will continue until its leader, Khan, reaches a safe place after he was granted bail.
“All party organisations will offer funeral prayers in absentia for the martyrs in their respective areas this evening,” the PTI posted on Twitter.
PTI has brought Pakistan to ‘brink of destruction’: PM Sharif
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the PTI leadership is trying to push the country, which is already facing a myriad of challenges, towards destruction.
“The horrible role PTI leadership has played in bringing Pakistan to the brink of destruction, it has become a big question mark for the country,” the prime minister remarked during a cabinet meeting.
Former PM given bail in other cases
In another relief for opposition leader Khan, the Islamabad High Court has instructed authorities to not arrest the former prime minister until May 17 in any case filed against him after May 9.
At least three new cases were registered against Imran Khan after he was detained in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Tuesday.
Khan’s lawyers had earlier approached the court to grant Khan protective bail in all cases filed.
Khan granted bail by court
After a short hearing, an Islamabad High Court bench has granted Khan a two week bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
An order on the decision is yet to be issued. Read more here.
Khan hearing resumes in Islamabad
A two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court has resumed the hearing of ex-PM Khan’s bail plea after a nearly two-hour break.
Earlier, one of Khan’s lawyers, Babar Awan, expressed his concerns, alleging that police from the eastern province of Punjab had been called to Islamabad to arrest Khan.
“Why does the government want to arrest him?” he asked. The lawyer said that if Khan is arrested again, it will be unconstitutional.
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan arrived for a hearing in Islamabad surrounded by dozens of security forces after the Supreme Court ruled his arrest this week had been unlawful â€µïž pic.twitter.com/8VyWko4qwe
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 12, 2023
No reason to detain him ex-PM says
Khan tells reporters he was “abducted” from the Islamabad High Court premises on Tuesday and there was no reason to arrest him.
“I was abducted,” he said while waiting for the resumption of his hearing in the same court.
“And when I was taken away, only then I was shown the warrant for my arrest. Is there a law of jungle? And the military abducted me. Where is the police? Where is the law? It almost seems like martial law has been declared here,” he said.
‘Ruined my livelihood’: Internet shutdown hits millions of people
Mohammed Faisal, a food delivery driver in Karachi, has lost 6,000 rupees ($20) over the past three days.
The 26-year-old relies on the WhatsApp messaging service to receive and track the locations of his food orders.
He uses his trusty motorbike and a smartphone with mobile broadband internet to traverse the main roads, narrow streets and densely populated neighbourhoods in Pakistan’s largest and most populous city.
Read more here.
Opinion: Khan’s arrest has exploded Pakistan’s reservoir of rage
Hyperbole is something that comes easy to Pakistanis, especially when it comes to politics, and in the political lexicon of Pakistan, the word “unprecedented” has been overused to the point of becoming meaningless. Every once in a while though, it fits.
After the dramatic arrest of wheelchair-bound Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court by a large contingent of paramilitary troops, it was as if a reservoir of rage had burst open, spilling red onto the streets with the floodwaters inundating hitherto sacrosanct shores.
The rage isn’t new. We have seen many violent protests and will no doubt continue to see them, but the targets this time were those who have historically been off-limits to even the angriest of mobs: the symbols and strongholds of the powerful military establishment.
Read more here.
Hearing delayed
Khan’s hearing has been delayed for prayers, the court says.
The opposition leader had arrived in court 45 minutes after the scheduled time ordered on Thursday by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
Khan was brought under strict security by police as lawyers present in the compound chanted slogans in support of the former prime minister.
A look at the security deployment around the court
Army deployed in capital: Police
Islamabad Police says in a statement that the army has been deployed in the red zone of the capital, the site of many government offices.
“There will be no compromise on the public order of Islamabad. The situation in Islamabad is normal,” the statement said.
Restrictions on internet, social media sites continue
Internet and data service restrictions are still in place across Pakistan since they began on Tuesday after Khan was arrested.
Major social media platforms – including Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram – remain inaccessible while mobile data services are also severely affected.
The Global Nework Initiative, an international body for internet rights, urged the government to lift the restrictions.
“Disruptions to digital services not only violate human rights, but also risk the safety of citizens, harm the economy, and hurt local businesses,” it said in a statement.
GNI urges the Pakistan government to lift restrictions and censorship measures in online and offline spaces.
Disruptions to digital services not only violate human rights, but also risk the safety of citizens, harm the economy, and hurt local businesses: https://t.co/CKAC0ILOVt— Global Network Initiative (@theGNI) May 9, 2023
Why are Khan’s supporters angry with Pakistan’s military?
Islamabad, Pakistan – A 34-second video, shot in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday, starts by showing a group of people entering a mansion.
They are wielding sticks, chanting slogans and carrying flags of Khan’s PTI party.
The man making the video says: “People have broken through the gates and have now entered the corps commander’s residence,” referring to a senior military officer.
Read more here.
Khan arrives for court hearing
Khan has arrived at the Islamabad High Court amid tight security.
Footage on local media showed the opposition leader walking inside the court compound surrounded by police officials.
The city administration has kept the court under high alert while limiting access to the premises.
A two-member bench has been formed to hear Khan’s petition.
Khan leaves for court appearance
Khan has left for the Islamabad High Court for his court appearance with the city’s police officials.
The high court complex is surrounded by large containers to restrict access, and strict security arrangements have been made with only a limited number of people allowed inside.
What is Al-Qadir Trust case for which Imran Khan was arrested?
Pakistan’s coalition government alleged in June that Khan and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from property tycoon Malik Riaz for their trust to build an educational institute.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an anti-corruption agency, has alleged that Khan’s PTI government struck a deal with Riaz that caused a loss of more than $239m to the national exchequer in a quid pro quid arrangement with the real estate mogul.
Read more here.
Khan granted injunction in state gifts case
The Islamabad High Court has issued an injunction on criminal proceedings in the state gifts case against Khan, restraining a local accountability court from further proceedings.
The PTI chairman is accused of selling gifts given to the state by foreign dignitaries and not disclosing the assets in tax declarations. Khan has denied the charges.