Jail or Bail? Why Imran Khan’s political future remains bleak

Pakistan has been witnessing unprecedented violent protests – scores of people have been injured, public property worth lakhs of rupees has been damaged, and military installations have been attacked – after former Prime Minister was arrested on Tuesday in the Al-Qadir Trust land deal case. Seventy-two hours after Pakistan continued to burn, the Supreme Court on Thursday declared his arrest “illegal”, directed immediate release of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and asked him to appear before the Islamabad High Court on Friday and seek further legal recourse. While the Supreme Court’s decision was celebrated by Khan’s supporters, who consider him as a ‘messiah-like figure’, the Pakistan government expressed anger and disappointment. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif raised concerns about the Supreme Court’s decision to nullify the arrest of former prime minister, questioning what he sees as the court’s “double standards of justice”. He further claimed that all the violence across the country had been instigated by Imran Khan, but he had not been held accountable. We decode the happenings from the court on 11 May and also explain what future awaits Imran Khan. What did Pakistan SC rule? On Thursday (11 May), the Supreme Court of Pakistan provided relief to PTI chairman Imran Khan, declaring his arrest illegal and ordered that he be moved to Police Lines Guest House, H-11, Islamabad.

In the three-page order, the apex court of the country noted that the manner of execution of the arrest warrant within the premises of the Islamabad High Court against the petitioner was invalid and unlawful. On Tuesday, Imran Khan had been arrested by Pakistan Rangers from the premises of the court. The order read, “The execution of said warrant violated the petitioner’s right of access to justice and the sanctity and safety of the court as he had already surrendered to the court for seeking judicial relief against the action taken by NAB (National Accountability Bureau) in the Al-Qadir Trust case. “The petitioner is directed to be produced before the IHC tomorrow – May 12 – at 11:00 am for hearing of his writ petition filed to challenge the NAB action against him in the Al-Qadir Trust case.” It further stated, “Whilst the petitioner is in the Police Guest House, he shall be entitled to meet up to 10 guests, whose particulars shall be provided by him to the concerned police officer, subject to a security check by the police. These persons shall be allowed to stay with the petitioner as long as desired by him.” [caption id=“attachment_12585652” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Imran Khan’s supporters dance to celebrate after the Supreme Court decision, in Peshawar. AP[/caption] The top judge of the court further added, “You will have to accept the high court’s decision,” Imran Khan’s supporters celebrated the court’s ruling, with some distributing sweets at the residence of Imran Khan in Zaman Park. Former special assistant to the prime minister on youth affairs Usman Dar called on the party supporters to take to the streets to express solidarity and gratitude to the top court. Khan’s former wife, Jemima Goldsmith, reacting to the news also tweeted, “Finally sense has prevailed.” Pakistan’s many legal minds also reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision, with lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii telling Dawn, “The arrest was high-handed, the optics were horrible and the reasoning with which the IHC declared it legal was weak. This was a necessary intervention.” Another lawyer Mirza Moiz Baig concurred with Jaferii, saying that the court’s decision to declare the arrest unlawful was hardly surprising.

Following the court’s order Imran Khan was whisked away to the Police Lines Guest House where he spent the night. On Friday morning, Khan’s lawyer alleged that authorities had tried to kill the PTI chairman on the premises by lacing his meal with insulin to give him a heart attack. Through his lawyer, Khan alleged, according to an ANI report, he was given an injection to induce a slow heart attack and not allowed to use the washroom. He also complained of chest pains.

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How did Pak government react? The Pakistan government led by Shehbaz Sharif was fuming with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Khan’s arrest, with some accusing the court of showing bias to the PTI chairman. Chief Justice Bandial “now should hoist the flag of Imran Khan’s party on the Supreme Court, or he should declare that the court is a sub-office of Imran’s party,” Azam Tarar, an adviser for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, told reporters. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the government would arrest PTI chief Imran Khan again if he gets bail from the High Court on Friday. “We will arrest him again. If he gets bail from the High Court tomorrow, we will wait for the cancellation of bail and arrest him again,” he told Dunya TV, according to AFP. [caption id=“attachment_12585662” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Prior to the Supreme Court decision, Imran Khan’s supporters had gone on a rampage, burning and destroying public property. The violence led to scores of people being injured and thousands arrested. AP[/caption] What next for Imran Khan? Ever since his ouster from power, Imran Khan has been facing a spate of legal troubles. The Al-Qadir Trust case is just one of the many cases the former PM is embroiled in. According to news agency PTI, Khan is facing at least 121 legal cases , including those related to treason, blasphemy, terrorism, and inciting violence. As the Supreme Court noted on Thursday, Imran Khan would have to abide by the Islamabad High Court ruling. That means if the court ruled against him, his political innings would come to an end. However, if the court gave him a reprieve, it would only be temporary. As political experts note that Khan’s decision to go up against the powerful army in the country will only hurt him in the future. Moreover, his supporters’ decision to vandalise properties and go on a rampage haven’t earned him any support within the judiciary. As Utpal Kumar, opinion editor at Firstpost, writes , “It’s, however, the vandalism of Imran Khan’s supporters, especially on the military installations, that might eventually seal his fate.” Political pundits also point out that there are concerted efforts being made to diminish Imran Khan’s PTI party. The establishment is cracking down on his party’s leaders and on Friday, the party’s senior vice president Dr Shireen Mazari and Dr Yasmin Rashid were arrested. Earlier, authorities had arrested Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister and vice chairman of Khan’s PTI party. PTI members further stated that the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Khalid Khurshid had been placed under “house arrest” in Islamabad. Two other senior PTI leaders, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, were also arrested on Wednesday, the latter from outside the Supreme Court minutes after he spoke to reporters. Will Imran Khan be able to ride out the storm? Only time will tell. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .