Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Imran Khan arrives in court after unlawful arrest

The Supreme Court, on Thursday (11) said the arrest was unlawful because it took place on court premises where Khan had intended to file a bail application

Imran Khan arrives in court after unlawful arrest

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan appeared at court for a bail hearing on Friday (12), after the Supreme Court ruled unlawful his arrest this week that triggered deadly clashes across the country.

"Your arrest was invalid, so the whole process needs to be backtracked," Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial told Khan at a hearing in the capital Islamabad on Thursday (11).

Khan was ordered to remain in the bench's custody under police protection for his own safety until Friday's court appearance.

The government has vowed to re-arrest Khan, setting the stage for more unrest.

He arrived in a high-security convoy at Islamabad High Court before walking into the building flanked by dozens of police and paramilitary troops.

PTI lawyers gathered in front of the court shouted "Khan your devotees are countless" and "the lawyers are alive", to which the ousted leader raised a single fist above his head.

The area surrounding the court is on lockdown, with hundreds of security forces deployed.

Since being ousted from office last April, Khan has waged a tempestuous campaign for snap elections and fired unprecedented criticism at Pakistan's government and powerful military, whom he blames for pulling him from power.

The one-time cricket star was arrested on Tuesday (8) at the Islamabad High Court on the orders of the country's top graft agency.

But on Thursday, the Supreme Court said the arrest was unlawful because it took place on court premises where Khan had intended to file a bail application.

Khan, 70, was ordered back to the same police headquarters where he has been sequestered since his arrest on the condition it should be treated as a "residence".

'Country needs peace'

Islamabad Police issued an emergency order banning all gatherings in the capital city after PTI called for supporters to come together.

"We are hopeful that bail will be granted by the High Court," Faisal Hussain Chaudhry, a lawyer for Khan, told reporters.

He said further arrests of senior PTI leaders overnight – bringing the total number to 10 – showed the government was "not serious about solving the issue".

"The country needs peace but such steps by the government are not helpful," he said.

Despite the Supreme Court's ruling on the legality of Khan's arrest, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah refused to back down on Thursday.

"If (Khan) gets bail from the High Court tomorrow, we will wait for the cancellation of bail and arrest him again," Sanaullah told Dunya TV.

With dozens of cases against him, Khan "has a long way to go", analyst Imtiaz Gul said.

"This is just a timely relief, probably as part of efforts to de-escalate the explosive situation and reduce tensions," he said.

"The cobweb of criminal cases seems meant to entangle and thus incapacitate him from active politics" ahead of elections due in October, he said.

Several thousand of Khan's supporters had rampaged through cities around the country earlier this week in protest at his arrest, setting fire to buildings and blocking roads.

At least nine people died in the unrest, police and hospitals said.

Hundreds of police officers were injured and more than 3,500 people arrested, mostly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, according to authorities.

Khan has remained wildly popular since being ousted in April 2022 in a no-confidence vote in parliament after he lost the support of Pakistan's powerful military.

(AFP)

More For You

Imran Khan

The announcement comes as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, prepares for nationwide protests on August 5, marking two years since his arrest.

Getty Images

Pakistan announces new paramilitary force ahead of PTI protests

PAKISTAN has announced the creation of a new national paramilitary force, raising concerns among opposition parties and human rights groups about its possible use for political repression.

The new force will be called the Federal Constabulary and will be formed by restructuring an existing paramilitary unit currently operating along the northwestern border with Afghanistan, state minister for the Interior Talal Chaudhry said at a press conference in Faisalabad on Monday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Altaf Hussain

Hussain has been living in London since 1992 and holds British citizenship. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Founder of Pakistan's MQM Altaf Hussain hospitalised in London

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has been hospitalised in London after falling seriously ill, according to a party official.

Hussain, 71, was admitted to a hospital on Thursday due to a severe illness, where doctors carried out various tests, Mustafa Azizabadi, Convener of MQM’s Central Coordination Committee, said on social media.

Keep ReadingShow less
Communities face 'powder keg' of unrest risk, report warns

Social media emerged as a significant threat to community cohesion, the British Future report said. (Photo: Getty Images)

Communities face 'powder keg' of unrest risk, report warns

COMMUNITIES remain at risk of fresh unrest unless urgent action is taken to address deep-seated social tensions, a new report, published one year after last summer's riots, has cautioned.

Titled 'The State of Us' by British Future thinktank and the Belong Network, the report published on Tuesday (15) said successive governments have failed to take action and warned that a "powder keg" of unresolved grievances could easily ignite again without immediate intervention.

Keep ReadingShow less
Metropolitan police

The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a 'comprehensive operation'. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Gang jailed for stealing £1 million jewellery from London’s Indian community

FOUR members of an organised crime network that stole more than £1 million worth of jewellery from Indian and South Asian families in London have been sentenced to a total of 17 years and one month in prison.

The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a “comprehensive operation” that led to the imprisonment of Jerry O’Donnell, 33, Barney Maloney, Quey Adger, 23, and Patrick Ward, 43. All four were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to burglary.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

After report of CAA warning on Boeing fuel switches, regulator issues clarification

FOUR weeks before an Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, media reports cited a safety notice issued by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) highlighting potential issues with fuel control switches on Boeing aircraft.

The CAA has now clarified that the safety notice in question — Safety Notice Number SN-2015/005 — was originally issued in 2015. The document was updated on 15 May 2025 only to change the contact email address. This routine administrative update caused the document to appear on the CAA website as if it were newly issued.

Keep ReadingShow less