ASIF SHAHZAD
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A Pakistani court on Thursday granted ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan pre-arrest bail in a terrorism case It was extended by a week, with the former prime minister appearing in person shortly after in heavily guarded court, his lawyer said.
Khan’s lawyer and political aide Babar Awan told Reuters that bail has been granted until September 1, after which they will apply Delayed again.
Police have charged ex-cricket star Khan over what they called a threat in a speech last week when he spoke of a police officer facing sedition against a man for inciting an army rebellion Aides accused of rebellion were tortured.
Khan said in his speech that he “will not let go” of the Islamabad police chief and a female judge who remanded his aides, adding that he will take legal action against them.
Police cited the comment and said it was aimed at spreading terror among the police and the judiciary and preventing them from carrying out their duties.
Khan’s bail on the matter was due to expire on Thursday, but the court granted him another week after his appearance.
“We asked for a longer time because Imran Khan is running in many seats and he needs to keep running, but the court only gave us a week,” Awan told Reuters.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Writing by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Tom Hogue)
