ISLAMABAD (Pak Revenue News) – PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has arrived at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to appear a day after he was ordered by the Supreme Court to appear before it.
A divisional bench comprising Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz will hear various positions from the former prime minister in the Al-Qadir Trust case and other cases.
Strict security measures have been taken outside the high court to avoid any untoward situation. Police officials are trying to disperse Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters gathered there amid the PTI chief’s appearance.
After reaching the high court, the former premier completed biometric verification process to file the petition and later moved to room No. 2 of the IHC.
Mr Khan is being represented by his lawyer Khawaja Harris in the case.
His arrest earlier this week, which sparked deadly unrest in the nuclear-armed nation, was ruled “invalid and unlawful” by the Supreme Court on Thursday. The apex court also directed the former premier to appear before the IHC on Friday (today).
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party said thousands of “peaceful Pakistanis” from across the country will gather in Islamabad in solidarity with their leader.
Khan, 70, an international cricket hero-turned-politician, will appear before the Islamabad High Court at 11 a.m. (0600 GMT) for a hearing on his petition challenging the anti-corruption action against him, on orders of the top court.
His arrest aggravated instability in the country of 220 million people at a time of severe economic crisis – with record high inflation, anaemic growth and a delayed IMF funding.
Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested so far and at least eight 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 army has warned Khan’s supporters that it will respond firmly if there are further attacks on its assets, saying in a statement on Wednesday that the violence on its installations was “pre-planned” and ordered by his party leadership.
