Bail for Imran Khan sparks protests by ruling coalition in Pakistan

The ruling coalition in Pakistan has launched a sit-in protest outside the Supreme Court to oppose the court’s order granting relief to former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his arrest last week

May 15, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch
Imran Khan bail Pakistan
(Photo: Twitter/PTI official via GeoTV)

On Monday, May 15, activists of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F)—that together form the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)—staged a sit-in protest outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad against its ruling granting relief to former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his arrest last week. 

The sit-in was attended by PML-N’s senior leader Maryam Nawaz and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman. Members of the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had raised concerns about “double standards of the judiciary” and announced protests against the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Khan relief on Friday, May 12.

On Friday, Khan was granted protective bail for two weeks by the Islamabad High Court in a number of cases, including the Al Qadir Trust case under which he was arrested on May 9.  Khan’s bail followed the Supreme Court ruling his arrest to be “invalid and unlawful” on Thursday, May 11. The court said it took up the case as “the right to access to justice was denied (to Khan) and the sanctity and safety of the high court were violated.” 

Khan’s arrest was the culmination of a long tussle with the civilian and military establishment ever since he was forced to quit after a no-confidence motion in 2022. Imran had alleged that his overthrow was orchestrated by the military, claiming that his independent foreign policy was among the reasons. In the subsequent months, his popularity surged even as the PDM government, which comprises Pakistan’s traditional ruling parties, failed miserably in dealing with the economic issues faced by the people.

Following Khan’s arrest, violent protests by supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party erupted across the country. Several vehicles were set on fire and state-owned buildings were attacked. The Punjab police reportedly arrested 3,500 people in a crackdown against PTI workers.

Following his bail, Khan alleged that at least 7,000 PTI activists, including several women, had been jailed while “security authorities are busy facilitating thugs take over the Supreme Court.” On Monday, Khan called on his supporters to offer funeral prayers to the “martyrs” who had lost their lives during the protests following his arrest.

The ruling government has vowed to arrest “all those involved in facilitating, abetting and perpetrating the disgraceful incidents of arson, ransacking, sabotage and damaging public and private properties.” Prime Minister Sharif has also asked Khan to join the investigation in the Al Qadir Trust case against him, reported Dawn.