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    Protests against Pakistan’s top judge as ex-PM Khan back in court

    LAHORE, PAKISTAN (AFP) – Hundreds of pro-government protestors demanded yesterday the resignation of Pakistan’s top judge for releasing Imran Khan from arrest last week, as the former prime minister went back to court facing yet more legal cases.

    Khan, who was ousted from power last April, was arrested last Tuesday following months of simmering political crisis, prompting his voters to rampage through cities.

    His arrest was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court’s chief justice and Khan was later released and granted various bail applications.

    “The chief justice and a few of his cronies are disgracing the judiciary like never before.

    Their justice seems to be serving one leader only,” said Malik Hassam Mehmood, a 36-year-old trader and supporter of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s party.

    “We are here to protest for the rule of law and a non-partisan judiciary.”

    There was a heavy security presence in the capital yesterday as protesters gathered outside the court in the capital’s so-called red zone.

    The Supreme Court order said Khan’s arrest as he arrived at Islamabad High Court to file a bail application in the case “violated the petitioner’s right of access to justice”. But “people want to come in very large numbers because of a deep sense of anger and anguish”, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said of the protest on Sunday.

    Meanwhile, former international cricket star Khan returned to the Lahore High Court yesterday where his lawyers said they were seeking information on fresh cases linking him to the violence that followed his arrest. The case continues today.

    Khan was accompanied by his wife, Bushra Bibi, who is tangled up in the same corruption case that led to the former leader’s arrest.

    Khan’s team erected a white curtain between his vehicle and the courtroom to shield the couple from the media.

    Pakistan former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi leave after their court appearance in Lahore, Pakistan. PHOTO: AP
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