ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top court on Thursday ordered former Prime Minister Imran Khan be presented before the court in an hour after his legal team challenged his arrest, local media reported, amid violent and widespread protests sparked by his detention.
"A verdict will be issued today," Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said.
Khan was arrested on Tuesday triggering violent protests across the country.
CJP Bandial has ordered the country's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to produce the chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chief before the Supreme Court of Pakistan Thursday.
A three-member bench, comprising CJP Bandial, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah, heard the Khan's plea against his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case, Dawn reported.
At the outset of the hearing, one of Imran's counsels, Hamid Khan, appeared on the rostrum and informed the apex court that his client had approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for pre-arrest bail.
His lawyer said that Imran Khan was in the process of getting his biometrics done when he was arrested. "Rangers misbehaved with Imran Khan and arrested him," the lawyer said as cited by Dawn.
CJP Bandial observed that court records showed the case had not been fixed for hearing. The lawyer told the court that the appeal could not be filed without completing the biometric process.
CJP Bandial said that there was a certain "respect" for the courts. Recalling a past incident, he said, "NAB had arrested a suspect from the Supreme Court's parking [lot]. The court had then reversed the arrest."
The CJP asked Imran Khan's counsel about the number of Rangers personnel who had arrested the former premier. Imran's lawyer responded that "100 rangers personnel entered court premises" in order to arrest the PTI chief.
"What dignity remains of the court if 90 people entered its premises? How can any individual be arrested from court premises?" he asked.
"In the past, action has been taken against lawyers for vandalism inside the court," he observed. "If an individual has surrendered to the court, then what does arresting them mean?"
He further said that NAB had committed "contempt of court". "They should have taken permission from the court's registrar before the arrest. Court staffers were also subjected to abuse," he added.
Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested so far and at least 6 killed after Khan’s supporters clashed with police, attacked military establishments and set other state buildings and assets ablaze, prompting the government to call in the army to help restore order.
The action against Khan, 70, a cricket hero-turned-politician and Pakistan’s most popular leader according to polls, has aggravated instability in the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people that is grappling with a severe economic crisis .
Tensions remained high on Thursday with paramilitary troops and police on the streets in major cities. Footage shared by an Islamabad police official showed military jeeps with mounted guns lined up on the side of a road and soldiers holding assault rifles.
Mobile data services remained suspended and schools and offices were closed in two of Pakistan’s four provinces.
Authorities have also arrested at least three senior leaders of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party as of Thursday.
