The Pakistan Supreme Court on Thursday declared the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan \u201cillegal\u201d and called for the immediate release of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief who was arrested by the country anti-corruption watchdog on graft charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A three-judge bench consisting of Pakistan Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah, had ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) \u2013who had arrested Khan on Tuesday\u2014to bring him before the country\u2019s apex court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hearing Imran Khan\u2019s plea for relief, the top court bench blasted the NAB for arresting the former Premier from the premises of the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday, where he had arrived to appear for a hearing in a case against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bench asked the anti-corruption watchdog that it should return Imran Khan to the Islamabad HC and let the court decide his fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Justice Bandial reprimanded the NAB for arresting Khan from the court premises without the permission of the registrar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Also<\/strong>: Pre-wedding shoots: Chhattisgarh Women\u2019s Commission chief says photoshoots harmful for daughters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice Bandial asked why Khan was arrested by the NAB when he had already surrendered to the court\u2026\u201dthen what does arresting them even mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imran Khan has alleged custodial torture by the NAB and said that the agency did not even let him use the washroom and also claimed that he was injected with something that would induce a slow heart attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imran Khan, a cricketing legend and one of the most popular Prime Ministers Pakistan has witnessed in recent times, was arrested on Tuesday by the NAB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following Khan\u2019s arrest, violent protests erupted across Pakistan as the PTI supremo\u2019s supporters hit the streets and clashed with the police and the Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Lahore, rapid supporters of the former Pakistan cricket team captain– who remains wildly popular among a portion of the country\u2019s population despite being ousted from power\u2014 set ablaze the home of Pakistan Army\u2019s corps commander while in Rawalpindi, the protesters laid siege to the army general\u2019s headquarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Khan\u2019s supporters have threatened to intensify protests across the country if the PTI chief is not released immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n