Pakistani court extends pause in arresting ex-premier Khan

A Pakistani court on Thursday extended a pause in the effort to arrest former premier Imran Khanin a graft case, a sign of easing tension in the country’s cultural capital after clashes erupted this week when police tried to detain him.
The decision is a reprieve for Khan, who was due to be arrested a few hours earlier. The Lahore High Court ordered police to suspend the plan to arrest the 70-year-old opposition leader until Friday. It also asked Khan’s legal team for talks to resolve the issue.
The court also barred Khan’s Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf opposition party from holding a rally that was to be led by Khan on Sunday ahead of the elections for a regional assembly, according to lawyers from the two sides.
Thursday’s order sent a wave of relief through Khan’s stick-wielding supporters, who were prepared to prevent police from reaching Khan’s house in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Despite the order, however, police and paramilitary rangers deployed for Khan’s arrest were not immediately withdrawn.