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Imran Khan gets protection from arrest in terror case for a week: Report
Imran Khan, former Pakistan PM, has been under fire over his comments at a speech last week.
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday got a temporary relief in a terror case filed against him over his controversial remarks during a speech last week. An anti-terrorism court granted him pre-arrest bail till September 1 for a surety of ₹100,000, Pak-based daily, the Dawn, reported. The chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) appeared in an Islamabad court following the row over his comments on a female judge.
The petition, however, contended that the case was filed against him as “an act of revenge”. Security was heighted at the federal court amid the hearing on the case.
After the interim bail was granted to Imran Khan, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said that an application would now be filed to quash the police complaint as “it has no merit”.
Khan - who has been pulling huge crowds at his rally ever since his government collapsed earlier this year - has been under fire over the remarks he made last week not just against a female judge, but also the Election Commission, the Shehbaz Sharif government and police officers.
The country's media watchdog - the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority - has also banned his live speeches on TV channels following the controversy.
The rally was called to express solidarity following the arrest of Shahbaz Gill of the PTI. The party has alleged that he was tortured during the custody. Meanwhile, ahead of the hearing, the PTI had called for support on Twitter: "If Imran Khan is arrested, come out on the streets and then head to Islamabad the next day. Clear directions from the party given!" it tweeted.
