Pakistan’s former premier Khan gets pre-arrest bail in terrorism case

By Kiran Butt

LAHORE, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan’s former Prime Minister and Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan was granted pre-arrest bail on Thursday by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad.

In his speech during a rally on Aug. 20, Khan said he will take legal action against the capital Islamabad’s police chief, and a judicial official who ordered two-day physical remand of his former chief of staff, Shehbaz Gill.

Gill is facing sedition charges for remarks that allegedly aimed to incite mutiny within Pakistan’s powerful military.

Babar Awan, Imran Khan’s lawyer, in his argument said that the First Information Report was lodged by a magistrate and the people Khan named are not even the complainants. He argued that his client talked of legal action against the said people and had not threatened them.

The court granted pre-arrest bail to Khan till Sept. 1.

A large number of people and journalists were present at the court when Khan arrived amid tight security measures taken by the Islamabad police.

Speaking to the media outside the court, Khan said Shehbaz Gill was sexually harassed in police custody and when he said he will take legal action against those responsible a case was filed against him. “It has given a notion to the world that Pakistan is a banana republic and there is no rule of law here.”

He also said that a technical knockout is being prepared for him.

Khan was also granted bail until Sept. 7 in another case related to a violation of section 144 when he led a rally on Aug. 20.