Imran Khan secures transit bail till August 25 in terror case

By
Awais Yousafzai
|
Cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), speaks to members of media after casting his vote at a polling station during the general election in Islamabad, Pakistan, July 25, 2018. — Reuters/File
Cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), speaks to members of media after casting his vote at a polling station during the general election in Islamabad, Pakistan, July 25, 2018. — Reuters/File

  • Court grants transit bail to Imran Khan till August 25.
  • PTI legal team had filed pre-arrest bail plea. 
  • Plea states Imran Khan willing to appear in court whenever summoned.


PTI Chairman Imran Khan has secured transit bail for three days till August 25 after he filed a pre-arrest bail application in the Islamabad High Court earlier to avoid arrest in a terror case filed against him last (Sunday) night.

A first information report (FIR) was registered against former prime minister Khan under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for threatening an additional sessions judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police at a rally in the federal capital’s F-9 Park.

PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry and Babar Awan had filed the plea on the former PM's behalf, who maintained in the plea that he is ready to appear before the court whenever summoned.

The plea stated that Imran Khan has no criminal record from the past and has never been convicted for any offence.

“There is no chance of fleeing or damaging evidence presented by the prosecution. Imran Khan is also ready to submit money as surety against his bail,” the plea stated.

However, the IHC registrar’s office had raised three objections over the plea, which are as follows:

  • Imran Khan did not undergo bio-metric verification before filing the plea.
  • He approached IHC instead of the relevant ATC court.
  • He didn’t provide a verified copy of the terror case.

But when Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Babar Sattar heard the case, they granted Khan transit bail till August 25, overruled the registrar office's objections, and asked Khan to approach an anti-terrorism court (ATC) by August 25 — as it is the relevant forum in the case.

Interior ministry seeks permission for arrest from PM

Meanwhile, the interior ministry has asked written permission from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office to arrest Khan following the registration of the case. 

According to sources, the PTI chairman has left his Bani Gala residence to avoid arrest. It is being reported that he may have left for Lahore or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, PTI leader Faisal Vawda said that Khan is still at Bani Gala.

According to The News, the interior ministry has sought written permission from PM Office for the arrest of the PTI chair. Sources said the arrest will be made with the consensus of all parties in the ruling alliance.

Meanwhile, PPP leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari has opposed the arrest of Imran Khan. He believes that the arrest will cause political damage to the ruling alliance.

On the other hand, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman did not give a clear viewpoint on Imran Khan’s arrest as PTI leader Murad Saeed claimed on Sunday night that the arrest warrants for Imran Khan had been issued.

Police deployed around Bani Gala

Additional police force has been deployed outside Imran Khan's Bani Gala residence and the road leading to his residence has also been closed for unauthorised people, allowing only people close to him and the residents of the area to enter, sources told Geo News hours after the registration of the case.

According to the The News , it is not yet decided whether Imran Khan would be arrested or put under house arrest, sources engaged in sketching the strategy of the operation told The News.

“Negotiations with Imran Khan are under way, as the PTI leader wants to avoid arrest or house arrest,” added the sources, saying that the authorities have multiple plans to handle the situation with the help of law-enforcement agencies, but were waiting for a green signal from the quarters concerned.

“Imran Khan is seeking the facility to approach the higher judiciary for obtaining relief, but he will have to surrender before the police as the first step,” the sources added.

Case registered against Imran Khan

The FIR registered against Khan states that he threatened Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and police officers at a rally in F-9 Park to “terrorise” police officials and judiciary. The main aim of the intimidation was to prevent the police officers and judiciary from carrying out their legal obligations, says the FIR.

The FIR was registered on the complaint of Magistrate Ali Javed in Islamabad's Margalla Police Station under Section 7 of ATA.

The FIR states that the PTI chairman threatened Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and police officers at a rally in F-9 Park to “terrorise” police officials and judiciary. The main aim of the intimidation was to prevent the police officers and judiciary from carrying out their legal obligations, says the FIR.