Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived Saturday at his residence in Lahore after being released on bail following conflicting court decisions and days of riots in the country.
Khan arrived at his residence in eastern Pakistan early on Saturday. Videos posted by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party showed more than 10 Khan supporters throwing flowers on his car to celebrate his release.
After Khan's release on bail on Friday, 40-year-old Zenirah Shah said: "Khan threatens decades of corruption, so they won't stand idly by about him. We have a long battle ahead of us but we scored a victory today."
The former prime minister between 2018 and 2022, who has been pushing for early elections before October in which he hopes to return to power, was attacked by dozens of members of the armed forces and arrested during an appearance before an Islamabad court in connection with corruption cases.
Violent confrontations
The arrest of Khan, a former cricket star who later became involved in politics and enjoys great popularity, has sparked violent confrontations in several Pakistani cities between his supporters and security forces, setting fire to several official departments, blocking roads and vandalizing army symbols, and killing at least 9 people during these clashes.
Hundreds of police officers were injured and more than 4,<> people were arrested, mostly in the eastern provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtukha in the northwest, authorities said.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that Khan's detention at the courthouse was unlawful, and he was released on Friday on bail for two weeks as part of the specific case.
The Islamabad High Court also barred Khan's arrest in any case before Monday in any other case.
Since his removal from power in April 2022, Khan has found himself in the middle of a series of court cases, a danger often looming over opposition figures in Pakistan.
"Treated like a terrorist"
Pakistan's former prime minister, Imran Khan, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the only way to stabilize his country was through elections, adding that the Supreme Court had granted him bail in all major cases against him.
The former prime minister, leader of the opposition Insaf party, spoke about what happened during his arrest: "When I was in prison there was chaos, and I had no idea what was happening because whoever kidnapped me treated me like a terrorist."
Imran Khan warned against imposing a state of emergency, saying that anyone who thinks of imposing a state of emergency in Pakistan is a "fool", as it would "drag the country into collapse and deepen the crisis".
Imran Khan's arrest came as part of a protracted political crisis in Pakistan that has led to him launching a crackdown on the country's powerful military. The military initially supported Imran Khan's rise to power before withdrawing its support, and then removed him from power in a vote of no confidence in his government in parliament in April 2022.