Islamabad, Pakistan – An anti-terrorism courtroom in Islamabad has granted interim bail to Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former prime minister, in a case registered in opposition to him final week for his remarks in opposition to senior police officers and a feminine decide.
The decide, Raja Jawad Abbas, on Thursday granted Khan bail till September 1 in opposition to a surety of 100,000 Pakistani rupees ($460).
Khan has confronted mounting authorized challenges over the previous couple of days. On Monday he was charged underneath anti-terrorism legal guidelines for “threatening” senior police officers and a feminine decide who had ordered the arrest of Shahbaz Gill, his high aide.
Since then, two additional costs have been introduced in opposition to the cricketing icon-turned-politician.
In a while Thursday, extra periods decide Tahir Abbas Supra granted Khan interim bail till September 7 over an illegal meeting cost in opposition to a surety of 5,000 Pakistani rupees ($22.8). A listening to over a contempt of courtroom cost will happen on August 31.
Earlier than Khan arrived in courtroom on Thursday, his lawyer contended that the terrorism case in opposition to the PTI chief was registered by police as an “act of revenge”.
Strict safety was in place across the judicial complicated the place the listening to happened, with regulation enforcement officers deployed exterior the courts.
The listening to
On a wet Thursday, Khan arrived on the courtroom simply earlier than noon, the place he was surrounded by senior PTI leaders and celebration supporters.
In a packed courtroom, Khan’s lawyer Babar Awan stated that the three people Khan was accused of threatening had not filed costs.
Awan, whereas repeating Khan’s statements from the rally, questioned how Khan’s remark of “‘have some disgrace’, which is usually used colloquially, is taken into account threatening”.
After a brief listening to, the courtroom granted interim bail, whereas additionally issuing notices to the prosecutor and the PTI’s attorneys for his or her replies, and adjourned proceedings.
![, Khan’s lawyer Babar Awan gave his arguments where he said that the three individuals who Khan was accused of threatening, were not a petitioner in the case filed. [Abid Hussain/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/PXL_20220825_045333696.jpg?w=688&resize=688%2C918)
After the listening to, Khan spoke to reporters and criticised the state’s actions in opposition to him, saying efforts to sideline him have made the nation a “joke”.
“Pakistan is ridiculed world wide. Shahbaz Gill is tortured and after I say that I’ll take authorized motion in opposition to these police officers who’re accountable, who despatched him again to police regardless of torture, simply due to saying that, I get booked underneath an anti-terrorism case,” he stated.
“The information was coated world wide and appears as if Pakistan is a banana republic the place no rule of regulation exists.”
He added that “those that are doing this, and people behind this, they need to consider the nation”.
“We’re holding the most important rallies in Pakistan’s historical past. Simply due to that concern, they need to save themselves and making an attempt to technically knock me out.”
After his authorities was toppled in April, Khan has repeatedly held giant rallies, throughout which he has closely criticised his political opponents, state establishments, the safety forces and “neutrals”, a generally used euphemism for Pakistan’s army institution.
The case in opposition to Khan
The police report in opposition to Khan consists of testimony from Justice of the Peace Ali Javed, who stated he heard Khan criticise the inspector-general of Pakistan’s police and one other decide at an Islamabad rally on Saturday.
Underneath Pakistan’s authorized system, police file what is called a First Info Report (FIR) detailing costs in opposition to an accused particular person to a Justice of the Peace, who provides the inexperienced gentle for the investigation to go forward. Police then arrest and query the accused.
The Justice of the Peace argued in his FIR that Khan’s speech had unfold concern and uncertainty amongst police, judges and the nation.
“Terrorism has been unfold, the nation’s peace has been harmed,” he stated.
Barrister Haider Rasul Mirza, a Lahore-based felony regulation knowledgeable, instructed Al Jazeera that Khan’s look on the courtroom had meant he was granted interim bail.
“Imran Khan has given courtroom his model by way of his attorneys that he fears an imminent risk of arrest since he believes the case is predicated on malafide [wrong] intention. Thus, after his protecting bail, the courtroom has now given him safety for interim interval and can subject discover to prosecution to current their arguments,” Mirza stated.
He added that whereas Khan might be given an exemption from the following listening to if his attorneys file an attraction on his behalf, it can’t be a “everlasting exemption”.
