Pakistani court orders release of 123 Imran loyalists

A Pakistani court on Saturday ordered the release of over 120 supporters of Imran Khan who were taken into custody in Punjab province following the violent protests that erupted after the former Prime Minister’s arrest on May 9.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the government to release 123 workers of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party without delay.

The orders were issued by Justice Anwarul Haq of the LHC during the hearing of a petition filed by PTI leader Farrukh Habib who sought the release of the detained party activists, the Dawn newspaper reported. These workers, arrested from Faisalabad, are currently detained in various jails in Punjab.

The arrest of Khan on May 9 by the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers in a corruption case at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises triggered unrest in Pakistan. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the protesters stormed the army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and also torched the Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House) in Lahore.

Police put the death toll in violent clashes to 10 while Khan’s party claims 40 of its workers lost their lives in the firing by security personnel.

On Monday, the top military brass vowed to bring the arsonists, who attacked the civil and military installations, to justice through trial under relevant laws of the country, including the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act.

Law enforcement agencies have arrested over 7,000 PTI workers across Pakistan, 4,000 of them from Punjab.