Relief for Imran Khan as anti-terrorism court grants him protective bail till September 1
India Today
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad accepted former Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s pre-arrest bail plea, shielding him from coercive action till September 1 in a terror case.
In relief for former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Thursday granted him protective bail till September 1 in a terror case.
Earlier, Khan had secured transit bail from the Islamabad High Court till August 25. The court had also directed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief to appear before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) before his bail expired.
Shortly after Khan appeared before the ATC earlier in the day, Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan accepted his pre-arrest bail plea against a surety of 100,000 Pakistani Rupees, reported Geo TV. While shielding Khan from arrest, the court also issued notices to the police and petitioner.
In his bail plea, Khan stated that the terrorism case against him was registered by police as an “act of revenge”.
Pakistan’s interior minister Rana Sanaullah had previously said that Imran Khan would be arrested as soon as his three-day protective bail expired on August 25. The interior ministry had reportedly written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office seeking permission to arrest Khan in the terror case against him.
Heavy police posting was seen outside the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad ahead of Khan’s appearance before it. The ex-PM’s PTI party had given the call to supporters to take to the streets and head to the capital if their leader gets arrested.
Imran Khan was booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (punishment for acts of terrorism) over comments he made at a rally in Islamabad last Saturday (August 20), in which he vowed to sue police officers and a female judge and alleged that a close aide had been tortured after his arrest.
