Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived at his residence in Lahore on Saturday (May 13th) after being released on bail after days of judicial twists and riots in the country. He returned to his residence, located in eastern Pakistan, in the early hours of Saturday morning. Videos posted online by his party, the PTI, show more than a hundred supporters celebrating his release by throwing rose petals at his car.
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Mr. Khan is threatening decades of corruption, so of course they will not sit idly by. It's a long fight ahead of us, but today it's a victory," said Zuneira Shah, a 40-year-old mother, after Imran Khan was released on bail on Friday. On Tuesday, the former head of government (2018-2022), who has been pushing for several months for the organization of elections before October and hopes to return to power, was assaulted by dozens of paramilitaries and arrested during a routine appearance before an Islamabad court in a corruption case.
Violent clashes
The arrest of Imran Khan, a popular political cricket star, sparked violent clashes in several cities across the country between his supporters and security forces. Several government buildings were set on fire, military symbols destroyed and roads blocked. At least nine people died in the events, according to police and hospitals. Hundreds of police officers were injured and more than 4,000 people arrested, mainly in the provinces of Punjab (east) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (northwest), according to the authorities.
" READ ALSO In Pakistan, the detention of Imran Khan sows anger
On Friday, clashes took place between protesters and police, who responded by firing tear gas, and shots were fired at the police, according to police. Access to social networks, including Facebook and YouTube, was cut off shortly after Imran Khan's arrest, before being gradually restored across the country. On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that his arrest at the courthouse was unlawful. He was released on bail Friday for two weeks in this particular case.
The Islamabad High Court also ordered that Imran Khan cannot be arrested until Monday for any other case. Since being ousted from power in April 2022, Imran Khan has found himself embroiled in a series of court cases, a frequent risk for opposition figures in Pakistan.
'Treated like a terrorist'
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The leader of the country's largest party was kidnapped in court in front of the entire nation," Imran Khan told AFP on Friday. "They treated me like a terrorist, it must have provoked a reaction," he added before leaving the heavily guarded court. Home Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah promised that Imran Khan would sooner or later be arrested again before elections scheduled for October at the latest: "There should be no violation of a court decision. But if there is a way to stop Imran Khan (within the limits of) the court order, it will certainly be done," he told private television channel Geo News on Friday.
Imran Khan has also launched into virulent diatribes against his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, and the military institution that helped him come to power in 2018 before withdrawing his confidence. Her arrest on Tuesday came shortly after the powerful army warned of charges over the weekend. The former Prime Minister had once again accused a senior officer of plotting to assassinate him in November during an election rally where he was shot in the leg. The military wields considerable political influence in Pakistan. It has staged at least three coups since independence in 1947 and held power for more than three decades. Direct criticism of him is rare, because it is considered a red line not to be crossed, at the risk of finding itself in the sights of the security apparatus.