Former Pakistani PM Khan, Supporters Await Court Decision on Arrest

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan remained holed up in his home in the Zaman Park neighborhood of Lahore, surrounded by his supporters, on Friday as the Islamabad High Court was poised to rule on whether police could arrest him for failing to show up in court.

Khan is due in court in Islamabad on March 18 for a hearing on a corruption case over the alleged misuse of his office to sell state gifts; he has repeatedly skipped such hearings.

The decision set to be handed down on Friday comes after after two days of clashes between Khan supporters from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party as police attempted to arrest the former prime minister to appear in court on corruption charges. Dozens of people, mostly police, were wounded in the clashes, which included water cannons and tear gas shelling.

Khan is facing allegations that he had sold state gifts while in power; meanwhile, the former prime minister denies the charges and calls the case politically motivated.