Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday declared the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan illegal, ordering him to move the Islamabad High Court again for bail in the case.
Khan was accused of using his influence to secure government funds for the Al-Qadir Trust, a charity that he founded in the 1990s.
The case against Khan has been ongoing for several months, with prosecutors alleging that he had misused his authority as prime minister to provide financial benefits to the Al-Qadir Trust. Khan had denied the allegations, and his lawyers had argued that the case against him was politically motivated.
The bail granted to Khan was conditional, and he will be required to appear in court for future hearings. The judge who granted the bail, Justice Qasim Khan, noted that there was no evidence that Khan had personally benefited from the funds provided to the Al-Qadir Trust, and that the case against him was weak.
The Al-Qadir Trust case is just one of several legal challenges that Khan is currently facing. He is also under investigation for alleged election rigging during the 2018 general elections, and for his involvement in the Panama Papers scandal. Khan has denied any wrongdoing in these cases, and has accused his opponents of using legal challenges to try and destabilize his government.
The bail granted to Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case is likely to be seen as a victory for his supporters, and as evidence that the case against him is weak. However, it is also likely to increase tensions between Khan and his opponents, and to fuel concerns about political interference in the judicial process in Pakistan.
