Police in the federal capital has imposed an emergency order banning gatherings as supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan are expected to march to the capital on Friday where the former prime minister will appear for a hearing in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). His arrest earlier this week, which sparked deadly unrest in the nuclear-armed nation, was ruled "invalid and unlawful" by the Supreme Court on Thursday. The apex court also directed the former premier to appear before the IHC on Friday (today).

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party said thousands of "peaceful Pakistanis" from across the country will gather in Islamabad in solidarity with their leader. Khan, 70, an international cricket hero-turned-politician, will appear before the Islamabad High Court at 11 a.m. (0600 GMT) for a hearing on his petition challenging the anti-corruption action against him, on orders of the top court. His arrest aggravated instability in the country of 220 million people at a time of severe economic crisis - with record high inflation, anemic growth and a delayed IMF funding.

Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested so far and at least eight killed after Khan's 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 army has warned Khan's supporters that it will respond firmly if there are further attacks on its assets, saying in a statement on Wednesday that the violence on its installations was "pre-planned" and ordered by his party leadership.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP