Pakistani Court Grants Imran Khan Protection From Arrest – The Diplomat

The Pulse | Politics | South Asia

A Pakistani courtroom on Friday shielded from arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan till no less than subsequent week, amid a roiling political disaster that has pitted the movie star politician in opposition to the present authorities and spilled over into road protests.

Khan was ousted by means of a no-confidence vote in Parliament final April. Since then, the 70-year-old former cricket participant turned politician has grow to be embroiled in additional than 100 authorized instances in opposition to him, together with graft whereas in workplace.

The ruling by the Lahore Excessive Court docket was one other reprieve for embattled Khan, who’s now the nation’s high opposition chief. The courtroom order nearly prevents his arrest till March 27 over accusations that he incited supporters from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) celebration to violence when he failed to look earlier than a courtroom within the capital Islamabad due to hours-long clashes between his celebration and the police.

Since November 2022, when he was wounded in a gun assault at a protest rally within the jap Punjab province, Khan has prevented appearances earlier than courts in Islamabad in no less than three instances, together with a graft cost. Khan says his life is in peril and that’s why he’s in search of bail to keep away from appearances earlier than judges in a number of instances.

Khan’s standoff with the federal government of his successor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has turned more and more violent in current weeks. Final week, his supporters clashed with police in Islamabad, leading to accidents to dozens of officers.

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Due to the violence, Khan couldn’t seem earlier than the decide in particular person to face indictment within the graft case. He’s accused of illegally promoting state presents he had obtained throughout his time period as premier and concealing his property.

Khan has denied all expenses in opposition to him, saying he’s being victimized by Sharif’s authorities.

Friday’s courtroom order was one other reprieve for Khan, who is anticipated to guide a rally in Lahore on Saturday to stress the federal government of Sharif to conform to the holding of snap elections. Sharif has stated the subsequent parliamentary elections will probably be held on time later this yr, when the Nationwide Meeting completes its five-year time period.

Khan has repeatedly alleged that his ouster was a conspiracy engineered by his successor, Sharif, and the US. Each have denied the cost.

However the ousted premier in current weeks has adopted a conciliatory method towards Washington.

On Friday, Pakistan’s Protection Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif at a information convention criticized Khan for attempting to hunt assist from diplomats and politicians in the US. Asif stated that for months Khan blamed Washington for his ouster, and now the previous premier was approaching the US to get assist in opposition to Sharif’s authorities.

Asif additionally defended this week’s resolution by the nation’s elections oversight physique to delay elections for a provincial meeting in the important thing Punjab province from April 30 to till October 8.

The transfer has drawn criticism from Khan. Wednesday’s resolution by the Election Fee comes months after Khan’s PTI dissolved the regional assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in a failed bid to pressure snap nationwide elections.

On Friday, President Arif Alvi, who can also be a part of the PTI, wrote a letter to Sharif, urging him to carry elections for the 2 provincial assemblies on time.