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Pakistan top court orders ex-PM Imran Khan’s release from custody, calls arrest ‘invalid’

  • Pakistan’s top court on Thursday ordered the anti-corruption agency to release former PM Imran Khan from its custody
  • Khan’s arrest sparked deadly and widespread protests, prompting the government to call in the army to help restore order

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A supporter holds a poster of Imran Khan during a protest. Photo: EPA-EFE

Pakistan’s top court on Thursday ordered the anti-corruption agency to release former Prime Minister Imran Khan from its custody, broadcaster Geo TV reported.

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

Supreme Court chief justice Umar Ata Bandial asked Khan to issue an appeal to his supporters to remain peaceful, as the country faced growing turmoil in its streets.

Khan told the Supreme Court he had “no idea” what happened after his arrest and urged that no damage be done to the country and for party members to stay peaceful, according to the ARY news channel.

The Supreme Court then declared the arrest of the former prime minister “invalid”.

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“Your arrest was invalid so the whole process needs to be backtracked,” Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial told Khan at the hearing in the capital Islamabad.

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