Pakistan's Khan granted bail after unlawful arrest
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on Friday, after his arrest on corruption charges this week sparked deadly clashes before being declared illegal. Khan was not immediately released, however, and instead had to answer further cases. "The court has granted Imran Khan two weeks interim bail and has directed the authorities not to arrest him in the (graft) case," Khan's lawyer Khawaja Harris told reporters afterwards. Khan was manhandled into detention by paramilitary troops at the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday, but the Supreme Court later declared the arrest unlawful and demanded the process be "backtracked". On Friday, he arrived in a secure convoy and walked into the building flanked by dozens of police and paramilitaries. Lawyers for his party gathered in front of the court ahead of the hearing and shouted "Khan, your devotees are countless", and "the lawyers are alive", as the ousted leader raised a fist above his head. The interior minister has pledged to re-arrest Khan, who has become tangled in a slew of legal cases – a frequent hazard for opposition figures in Pakistan – since he was ousted from power last April and launched a campaign of defiance against the military. General elections are due no later than October, and the former cricket star has accused the shaky incumbent coalition government of supplanting him in cahoots with top generals. The 70-year-old has also made explosive claims that they puppeteered a November assassination attempt which saw him shot in the leg as he campaigned for snap polls. (AFP)