ISLAMABAD: Babar Awan, a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan and an ex-law minister during his government, said on Wednesday Khan would appear in person before an anti-terror court tomorrow, Thursday, to seek bail against terrorism charges.
Khan was charged under the country’s antiterrorism act on Sunday, a day after the former cricket star who was ousted from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April, gave an impassioned speech to supporters at a rally in the capital, Islamabad, condemning the recent arrest of one of his top aides and threatening senior police officers and a judge involved in the case.
The police report detailing the charges against Khan said his comments amounted to a deliberate and illegal attempt to intimidate the judiciary and police force. A court granted Khan three days of pre-arrest bail on Monday.
“We will file Imran Khan’s bail application in the ATC [anti-terrorism court] tomorrow [Thursday],” Khan’s lawyer said. “Imran Khan will go himself.”
“This is a fake case. There was no blast, no kalashnikovs were used ... but terrorism charges have been applied.”
In recent months, the populist leader has drawn tens of thousands of people to his rallies across the country, calling for early elections. In July, Khan’s party won a sweeping victory in local elections in the country’s most populous province, Punjab, and this month it also fared well in voting in the country’s economic hub of Karachi.
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.
Khan rose to power with what observers widely said was the support of the military. 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.
