Islamabad: Imran Khan's supporters were preparing to march to Islamabad, where the former prime minister will appear in court on Friday, when Pakistani police issued an emergency order prohibiting gatherings.
The Supreme Court deemed his arrest earlier this week, which caused deadly unrest in the nuclear-armed country, to be "invalid and unlawful" on Thursday.
Thousands of "peaceful Pakistanis" will assemble in Islamabad in support of Khan, according to his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party. According to police, Khan was permitted to meet 10 people on Thursday night in a police guesthouse.
Khan's conflict with the powerful military has intensified as a result of his arrest, which has exacerbated instability in the 220 million-person nation during a period of severe economic crisis marked by record-high inflation, anaemic growth, and a delayed IMF funding.
A hearing on Khan's petition contesting the anti-corruption action against him, on orders from the top court, was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. (0600 GMT) before the Islamabad High Court. Khan, a 70-year-old former international cricket star who is now a politician. He was reportedly en route to the courthouse, according to broadcaster Geo TV.
The Supreme Court's ruling stated that "the manner of execution of the arrest warrant... against petitioner is invalid and unlawful." The petitioner's right to access justice, as well as the sanctity and safety of others, were all violated by the execution of the said warrant.
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Before Khan arrived, hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel were stationed around the court, and according to Geo, some nearby roads were blocked off.
Since Tuesday night, mobile data services have been disabled, but access to social media websites has not changed. The second-largest city in Pakistan and Khan's hometown, Lahore, is located in the east and has many significant roads and businesses that have remained closed.
Since Khan's supporters started fighting with police, attacking military installations, and torching other state properties and assets, nearly 2,000 people have been detained and at least eight have died. As a result, the government had to enlist the army to help restore order.
Khan was detained a day after the powerful military reprimanded him for repeatedly blaming the former head of the armed forces and a senior officer for his ouster from power last year.
The army said in a statement on Wednesday that the violence on its installations was "pre-planned" and ordered by Khan's party leadership, and that it has warned his supporters that it will react forcefully if there are any more attacks on its assets.
Khan's demise from office in April 2022 following a parliamentary no-confidence vote has been attributed to the military, which his detractors claim he was forced from office through a rigged election in 2018 by the generals.
The army, which has maintained direct control over Pakistan for nearly half of its 75-year history through three coups, and which is still the country's most potent institution, has refuted Khan's claims.
