Imran Khan Back at Lahore Residence After Securing Bail In Many Cases

Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, arrived at his home early on Saturday after a protracted standoff with the government in Islamabad, where he was forced to remain since protection wasn’t being provided for him despite being given bail in many instances.

In a corruption case, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday granted him protective bail for two weeks. Until Monday, the government is not allowed to detain the former Pakistani prime minister in any case that has been filed elsewhere in the nation.

The 70-year-old leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who was led to court amid strict security, received relief from three distinct benches of the IHC.

Khan was allegedly made to spend more than three hours in court by the Islamabad police on the security details before his departure for Lahore after receiving blanket bails from the IHC in several cases involving treason and violence and one related to the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, in which he was arrested early this week.

After a drawn-out standoff with police, he departed the courthouse.

However, when Khan arrived at his Zaman Park home, he was met by a number of happy PTI employees who showered rose petals on his car, danced to the beat of drums, and lit off a large display of fireworks.

They also chanted slogans in favour of Khan and against the ruling PML-N-led coalition.

The PTI released a video of Khan entering the house where his sisters and other family members welcomed him and inquired about his health.

Khan, who is demanding snap general elections, is facing over 120 cases across the country.

“Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IG) Akbar Nasir tried his best to retain me at the capital’s high court. They did not let us leave for three hours, saying that it’s dangerous outside,” the PTI chief said in a video message from his vehicle in which he was travelling back to Lahore.

He said he told the IG that he would tell the entire Pakistan that he was kidnapping him and upon this he let him go.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had earlier declared that the government might take Khan into protective custody which made the PTI chief and his associates skeptical about the IG’s action.

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The Islamabad police also issued a statement saying providing security was a bilateral matter where the cooperation of the subject was required.

“Imran Khan did not cooperate with us for security arrangements, thus he is responsible for his actions. If anything happens to him (Khan) the state institutions will not be responsible,” it said.

The arrest of Khan on Tuesday by the Pakistan Rangers at the IHC premises in a corruption case triggered unrest in Pakistan that continued till Friday in which scores of people were killed and dozens of military and state installations were destroyed by the protesters.

For the first time in Pakistan’s history that the protesters stormed into the army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and also torched a corps commander’s house in Lahore.

Police put the death toll in violent clashes to 10 while Khan’s party claims 40 of its workers lost their lives in the firing by security personnel.