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

ISLAMABAD

A court in Pakistan on Thursday granted pre-arrest bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a terrorism case.

Khan appeared before the anti-terrorism court in the capital Islamabad that granted him interim bail in four new provisions added by the local police in a case registered against him last month.

According to his lawyer, Babar Awan, the court adjourned the case until Sept. 12 and also issued notices to Islamabad police.

Last week, the same court granted pre-arrest bail to Khan in a case registered against him for allegedly threatening police officers and a judicial official during a rally. However, Islamabad police on Thursday added four more provisions related to the law and order situation.

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 chief of staff, Shehbaz Gill.

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

Meanwhile, Awan said that the Interior Ministry has issued a letter and warned that Khan's life is under threat.

“We have received a letter from the government regarding a life threat to Imran Khan. But if anything happened to him, the government will be responsible," Awan told reporters outside the court.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s secretary-general and former Finance Minister Asad Umar also confirmed the letter and said the government is putting Imran Khan’s life at risk while registering cases against him.

Last week, Islamabad police said that 77 police personnel have deployed for Khan’s security.