Pakistan Supreme Court slams anti-graft agency over Imran Khan's arrest

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday slammed the anti-corruption watchdog as it observed that the agency committed "contempt of court" by entering the court premises and arresting him without permission from the court's registrar.

The bench during the hearing expressed anger at the way 70-year-old Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court where he had come from Lahore for a case.

"What dignity remains of the court if 90 people entered its premises? How can any individual be arrested from court premises?” the chief justice was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

"In the past, action has been taken against lawyers for vandalism inside the court,” he observed. "If an individual has surrendered to the court, then what does arresting them mean?" The top judge said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had committed "contempt of court".

"They should have taken permission from the court’s registrar before the arrest. Court staffers were also subjected to abuse,” he added.

(with PTI inputs)