Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan arrived at the Islamabad High Court amid high security, a day after the Supreme Court ordered his release. Khan was arrested from the IHC on Tuesday in the Al-Qadir Trust case over allegations of corruption.
Tight security is in place outside the IHC premises as supporters of Khan's PTI are expected to gather and express solidarity for the party chief. Section 144 has been imposed in Islamabad with the police banning gatherings, the Dawn reported. Hundreds of police and paramilitary troops have been deployed around the court and major roads cordoned off. Mobile data services have also been blocked since Tuesday, according to reports.
Khan's arrest earlier this week had sparked deadly violence in the capital. Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested so far and at least eight killed after his supporters clashed with police and paramilitary troops earlier.
In a major relief for Khan and his supporters, the SC on Thursday deemed his dramatic arrest "unlawful" and "invalid" and ordered his immediate release after he was produced before a bench on its orders. He was directed to appear before the IHC on Friday.
Meanwhile, the police on Friday arrested two senior PTI leaders as the government launched a crackdown on the opposition party amid the turmoil following Khan's arrest.
US to monitor the situation
The United States will continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan, the Biden Administration said on Thursday, maintaining that it does not have a position on one candidate or the other.
The official's comments came in the wake of the arrest of former Pakistan premier Imran Khan in a corruption case, which led to violent protests across the main cities of the country and the calling of the army to contain the unruly supporters.
"We continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan closely, and as the US has said before, we don't have a position on one candidate or one political party versus another. What our interest is a safe and secure, prosperous Pakistan. That is in the interest of the US-Pakistan relations, and we call for the respect of democratic principles and the rule of law around the world," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.
The United States, he said, does not have a favoured candidate or a favoured political party, not just in Pakistan but as it relates to any government system around the world. "A prosperous and strong, democratic Pakistan is critical to US interests. That remains unchanged."
"On some of these areas, such as press freedom, human rights, things of that nature, we have consistently raised these issues with our counterparts not just in Pakistan but in other countries where we have a perspective to offer on that," Patel said in response to a question.
(With inputs from PTI)