The Supreme Court of Pakistan has declared the arrest of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf’s Chief Imran Khan null and void and ordered him for his immediate release.
On Thursday, the three member bench of the apex court headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umer Atta Bandiyal ., Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Muhamad Ali Mazhar asked the National Accountability Bureau and IG Islamabad to present Imran personally in the court by 4:00 ‘O Clock, but the police presented him after lapse of two hours of the deadline . On which the NAB, in the tight security, held PTI’s head to Supreme Court from the Police Lines, where he was detained.
On the personal appearance of Imran Khan before the bench, the Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandiyal said that when anybody comes to the court, it means that he surrenders before the court. Imran Khan should contact the High Court again today (12th May) and whatsoever the decision of the IHC would be, Imran Khan would have to accept it.
After the release order, PTI ‘s Chairman Imran Khan requested the court to allow for go to his residence at Banni Gala, but the court replied that Khan’s security is important so he should stay at Police Lines as a free person. The court asked the police to provide full security to him and present him before Islamabad High Court at 11:00 am today.
During the hearing Justice Athar Minallah said that it was the track record of NAB that it arrested many people in the past. If it is continued in the same way, then who would show confidence in the courts
The bench said in the remarks that now a principle is set forever that no one would be arrested from the premises of the court.
The court also asked Imran Khan that after his arrest, his followers sabotaged the government properties including the highly sensitive level of defense installations. On which Imran Khan said that he neither asked anyone to play havoc in the name of protest nor he knew what happened while he was detained.
Court asked the NAB that had it taken the permission of the Registrar of the high court before arresting Khan from the premises of the court.
The decision of the Supreme Court put some cold water on the fire, which erupted on 9th May after the arrest of Imran Khan in the whole country, when PTI ‘s supporters instigated the countrywide protest in which they also caused damage to public and private property at a large scale. Now with the release of Khan, the matter would cool down.
Now the government should refrain from arresting Imran Khan again and divert its attention towards aligning the economy of the country on the right path as the Pakistani rupees collapsed to the record level and the dollar reaches to Rs 300 plus. The next budget is in the pipelines and people are expecting some relief from the government as it failed to do anything positive for the public in its 13 months’ tenure so far.