Court forces police to retreat in battle to arrest Imran Khan

A Pakistan court ordered police on Wednesday to suspend an operation to arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan, bringing a halt to pitched battles in which police baton-charged supporters of the former cricketer and fired water cannon and tear gas. The Lahore high court ordered police to postpone their efforts to arrest Khan until Thursday.

Meanwhile, the current volatile political situation in Pakistan has become a factor in delaying a much-needed deal with the Washington-based IMF that may stabilise the cash-strapped country’s economy, according to a media report on Wednesday.