Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan granted bail after arrest cancelled

The arrest, ruled "invalid and unlawful" by the Supreme Court a day earlier, fuelled instability in the nation of 220 million at a time of economic crisis, with record inflation, anaemic growth and delayed IMF funding.

Khan arrived amid tight security at the court in Islamabad on Friday as his supporters clashed with police elsewhere in the capital, broadcaster Geo TV reported.

"The court has given a two-week bail," Khan's lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, told reporters.

Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested for violence since Khan's detention on Tuesday and at least eight have been killed.

At least eight have been killed as his supporters clashed with police, attacked military establishments and set other state buildings and assets ablaze, prompting the government to call in the army to help restore order.

"The Islamabad High Court has given a two week bail and also ordered the (anti-graft body) not to arrest Imran Khan during this period," his lawyer Faisal Chaudhry told reporters after the hearing.

Khan arrived amid tight security at the court on Friday as his supporters clashed with police elsewhere in the capital, where a police van was also set ablaze, broadcaster Geo TV reported. 

Khan, wearing dark glasses and dressed in a sky blue shalwar kameez - the loose shirt and trousers popular in Pakistan - and a dark waistcoat, walked into the court surrounded by lawyers and security forces, TV footage showed.

He was seen in footage waving at cameras and making a victory sign with his fingers as he walked into the court.

(REUTERS)