In blanket relief, IHC grants bail to Imran Khan in multiple cases, including Al-Qadir Trust.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday got blanket relief from the Islamabad High Court as the authorities have been barred from arresting the deposed prime minister in any case till Monday morning (May 15).

In the first relief today, a two-member special divisional bench granted two-week bail to the former prime minister in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, and later, the court barred authorities from arresting him till May 17 in any new case filed against him till May 9 - the day he was detained in the corruption case, which led to deadly countrywide protests.

Then, he sought transitory bail in four cases lodged against him in Lahore, in which the court awarded him bail till May 22 in the Zille Shah murder case, then, another bench barred authorities from arresting the former prime minister till the morning of May 15 while hearing the bail petition filed against three terrorism cases.

Opposed to a wheelchair in which he would appear before courts earlier, a beaming Khan, sporting a stylish pair of sunglasses, arrived at IHC in tight security like a celebrity, wearing a crisp light-blue shalwar kameez and a dark blue waistcoat, as hundreds of police and paramilitary troops guarded the premises of the judicial structure in the federal capital.

A day earlier, contrary to the IHC - which termed PTI chief's arrest 'legal' - a three-member bench of the Supreme Court deemed Khan's arrest from the premises of the high court 'illegal', directing him to appear before the IHC today.

'The manner of execution of the arrest warrant issued by the Chairman, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) dated 01.05.2023 in the Al-Qadir Trust case within the premises of the Islamabad High Court against the petitioner is invalid and unlawful,' the ruling said.

Khan was arrested from the IHC premises by paramilitary forces on Tuesday (May 9), which triggered violent protests across the country. The former prime minister had immediately approached the court for release but it had declared his arrest legal.

Since being ousted from office last April, Khan has waged a tempestuous campaign for snap elections and fired unprecedented criticism at the coalition government and military who he blames for pulling him from power.

He has accused senior military and government officials of plotting a November assassination attempt that saw him shot in the leg during a rally.

Terrorism cases

A two-member bench - headed by Justice Tariq Mehmood...