Imran Khan Granted Bail by Islamabad High Court after Supreme Court Called Arrest "Invalid and Unlawful"

On Friday, Imran Khan, Pakistan's former Prime Minister, was granted two weeks of bail by the Islamabad High Court in a corruption case. This happened a day after the Supreme Court of Pakistan called his arrest "invalid and unlawful." Although the Islamabad High Court upheld Khan's arrest, a three-member Supreme Court bench had declared his detention "illegal" on Thursday and ordered his immediate release.

The hearing on Friday was delayed for nearly two hours due to security reasons. Khan arrived back at the Islamabad High Court in a secure convoy and walked into the building flanked by dozens of police and paramilitaries.

The court has granted Khan a two-week interim bail and directed the authorities not to arrest him in the graft case, according to his lawyer Khawaja Harris, who was quoted by news agency AFP. Khan raised a single fist above his head, signaling his gathered supporters.

However, the legal saga seems far from over. The interior minister has pledged to re-arrest Khan, who has become tangled in a slew of legal cases. He was arrested from outside the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday in the Al-Qadir Trust case after the National Accountability Bureau issued an arrest warrant against him.

The arrest by paramilitary Rangers triggered deadly clashes across the country, prompting the deployment of the army. At least nine people died in the unrest, police and hospitals said.

Mr. Khan has accused senior military and government officials of plotting a November assassination attempt that saw him shot in the leg during a rally. 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.

Khan's popularity has remained high since being ousted. His arrest this week came after the army rebuked him for once again repeating allegations they were involved in his assassination attempt.