ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani antiterrorism court (ATC) on Thursday extended former prime minister Imran Khan’s bail until September 12 while directing the prosecution and defense lawyers to complete their arguments on the next hearing to conclude the case.
Khan was booked under terrorism laws for threatening senior police officials and a judge during a speech at a rally in Islamabad on August 20. He was required to appear before the court to face the case against him since his bail was due to expire today.
Police have accused Khan of making verbal threats to police officers and a judge in his speech, saying his comments amounted to a deliberate and illegal attempt to intimidate the judiciary and police force.
“They [the prosecution] are making a mockery of the justice system by bringing terrorism charges [against Khan],” the former prime minister’s counsel, Dr. Babar Awan, argued before ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas.
Awan also questioned why new charges were brought against Khan in the case while pleading for his bail.
The judge remarked that all charges, except for the terrorism offense, were bailable, though he decided to grant the bail while directing both sides to wrap up their arguments during the next hearing.
The court proceeding lasted for less than two minutes. Elaborate security arrangements were in place to deal with any untoward incident while a small number of Khan’s supporters had also gathered outside the court to express solidarity with their leader.
“I’m becoming more dangerous with every passing day,” Khan quipped while responding to a question after the hearing.
One of his close aides, Asad Umar, labelled the terrorism charges against Khan as “bogus” while talking to reporters at the court. “They [the coalition government] know they can’t compete with Imran Khan in the elections,” he said. “Therefore, they are trying to use such silly tactics to engage him.”
Earlier in the day, Khan’s attorney informed the court that his client could not attend the hearing since he was facing threat to his life. The judge, however, objected to it and directed Awan to produce his client before the court at 12pm.
“Imran Khan should tell what kind of threat does he face,” the ATC judge remarked. “It was his responsibility to appear in the court after he was given interim bail in the case.”
The judge instructed the former premier to ensure his physical presence in the court at 12pm.
Speaking to the media, Khan’s lawyer said he had told the court if anything happened to his client, the government and senior officials of Islamabad Police would be responsible.
“They are taking away Khan’s security while stopping him from seeking police protection from provinces,” Awan maintained. “We were given a threat letter in Bani Gala [Khan’s residence] that some people wanted to kill the former prime minister.”
The terrorism charge against Khan carries anything from several months to 14 years in prison, the equivalent of a life sentence. Khan is currently also facing a separate contempt of court case for insulting a female judge and could be disqualified for life from politics if convicted.
The former prime minister has said the cases against him are politically motivated because of his growing popularity among the masses. In recent months, he has drawn tens of thousands of people to rallies across the country, calling for early elections.
The use of anti-terrorism laws as the basis of cases against political leaders is not uncommon in Pakistan, where Khan’s government also used them against opponents and critics between 2018 and 2022.
Khan rose to power with what observers widely say was the support of the military and won the 2018 general election more than two decades after he formed his party. The former PM denies ever having military support and the military, which has ruled the country for more than three decades of its 75-year history, says it does not get involved in civilian politics.
