The former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is to remain free from jail until at least next week, ordered a court Friday.
In the midst of an unstable political crisis that has placed the well-known politician against the present administration and erupted into street rallies, Khan was dismissed by a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April of last year.
Since then, the former cricket star turned politician, has been charged with more than 100 legal cases, including graft while holding public office. The Lahore High Court's decision provided Khan, who is currently the head of the nation's opposition party, Pakistan Justice Movement (PTI), with yet another mercy.
The court's ruling effectively bans his arrest until March 27 due to allegations that he incited his party supporters to unrest after he skipped court in the capital Islamabad due to hourslong protests between his party and the police.
After being shot at a protest gathering in the eastern Punjab province in November, Khan has been away from court appearances in Islamabad in at least three instances, including one involving a graft charge. Khan claims that because of the threat to his life, he must be granted bail in order to avoid having to appear before judges in several instances.
In recent weeks, violence has risen in Khan's stalemate with Shahbaz Sharif's administration, the prime minister who would succeed Khan. Earlier this week, his supporters clashed with police in Islamabad, resulting in injuries to dozens of officers.
Khan is accused of illegally selling state gifts he had received during his term as premier and concealing his assets. Khan has denied all charges against him, saying he is being victimized by Sharif's government.
The court order this Friday was another reprieve for Khan, who is expected to lead a rally in Lahore on Saturday to pressure the government of Sharif to agree to the holding of snap elections. Sharif has said the next parliamentary elections will be held on time later this year when Parliament completes its five-year term.
Khan has repeatedly alleged that his ouster was a conspiracy engineered by his successor, Sharif, and the United States. Both have denied the charge. But the ousted premier in recent weeks has adopted a conciliatory approach toward Washington.
On Friday, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif at a news conference criticized Khan for trying to seek help from diplomats and politicians in the U.S., saying for months Khan blamed Washington for his ouster, and now the former premier was approaching America to get help against Sharif's government.
Asif also defended this week's decision by the country's elections oversight body to delay elections for a provincial assembly in the key Punjab province from April 30 to until Oct. 8.
Khan has expressed disapproval of the action. Following a failed attempt by Khan's party to call early elections, the Election Commission made its judgment on Wednesday after dissolving the regional assemblies in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In a letter to Sharif on Friday, President Arif Alvi pleaded with him to hold the two provincial assemblies' elections on schedule.
