Pakistan's Supreme Court declared on Thursday the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan "invalid", two days after his detention sparked deadly clashes and huge protests nationwide.
"Your arrest was invalid so the whole process needs to be backtracked," Pakistan's top judge Umar Ata Bandial told Khan, who has been in custody since Tuesday.
However, Bandial denied Khan's request to return to his farm house on the outskirts of Islamabad.
The former PM was instead ordered to remain in the custody of the court under police protection for his own safety, until his appearance at another court hearing on Friday.
The court also asked him to issue an appeal to his supporters to remain peaceful, following two days of turmoil in the streets.
Khan's supporters were seen dancing near the court building to celebrate the court ruling.
The former PM was arrested on corruption charges and remanded in custody on Tuesday in a culmination of months of political crisis during which he has waged a campaign of defiance against Pakistan's military establishment.
Several thousand enraged supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have for two days rampaged through cities around the country, setting fire to buildings and blocking roads.
At least nine people have died in the unrest, police and hospitals said. Hundreds of police officers have been injured and more than 2,000 people arrested, mostly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
'Civil war'
Khan, a former cricket superstar who remains wildly popular, was ousted in April 2022 in a no-confidence vote in parliament after he lost the support of Pakistan's powerful military.
He has said the dozens of legal cases brought against him following his ousting are part of an effort by the government and the army to prevent him from returning to power ahead of elections due in the autumn.
The military earlier issued a strongly worded statement saying it was exercising "extreme restraint".
It warned of a "severe reaction" to any further attacks on state and military facilities, and said responsibility will lie with "a group that wants to push Pakistan into civil war".
Khan's party dismissed the statement as "contrary to facts and the situation on the ground".
Since Wednesday, the army has been deployed in two provinces – including Punjab, the most populous – and in the capital.
The Interior Ministry has ordered mobile internet services cut and restricted access to social media sites Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, Pakistan's communications agency said.
Authorities also closed schools nationwide – with year-end exams cancelled.
Pakistan is struggling through a severe economic downturn, brought about in part by the deepening political instability of the past year, with the rupee plummeting to a record low against the dollar on Thursday.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP)
