ISLAMABAD, May 13, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was freed on bail by the Islamabad High Court on Friday, after his arrest on corruption charges this week sparked deadly clashes before being declared illegal.

The court also granted bail to Khan in other pending cases and ruled that he could not be arrested again before Monday.

Several thousand of his supporters have rampaged through cities across the country in protest at Khan's detention since Tuesday, setting fire to buildings, blocking roads and clashing with police outside military installations.

"The head of the country's largest party was abducted, kidnapped from the high court, and in front of the entire nation," Khan told AFP from the court building.

"They treated me like a terrorist, this had to have a reaction," he said of the protests that followed.

He left the court premises around 10.30 pm -- hours after the hearings ended -- to travel to the city of Lahore, some 380 kilometres (240 miles) from the capital, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said.

Islamabad Police had earlier tweeted that it was responsible for Khan's security and was clearing roads, as officers used tear gas to hold back protesters who gathered a few kilometres from the heavily guard court.

Gun shots were fired at officers after dark, the force added, without giving further details.

Khan has become tangled in a slew of legal allegations -- a frequent hazard for opposition figures in Pakistan -- since he was ousted from power in April last year.

He had launched an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military, which independent analysts say helped him rise and fall from power.

General elections are due no later than October, and the former cricket star has accused the shaky coalition government of supplanting him in cahoots with top generals.

The 70-year-old has also made explosive claims that they puppeteered a November assassination attempt which saw him shot in the leg as he campaigned for snap polls.

Khan was manhandled into custody by paramilitary troops at the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday, but the Supreme Court later declared the arrest unlawful and demanded the process be "backtracked".