Imran Khan decides not to appear before ATC for pre-arrest bail in terror case

• Imran Khan makes decision after consultation with legal team.
• Sources say Imran Khan will approach ATC after Haripur rally.
• Say Imran Khan will hold consultations with PTI's political committee today.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan decided against appearing before an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad to seek pre-arrest bail in a terror case against him.

The former prime minister on Monday approached the IHC to avoid arrest in the terror case but the IHC's registrar office raised three objections on the plea.

The objections

• 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.

Nevertheless, Imran Khan secured a transit bail till August 25 from the IHC, which overruled the registrar office's objections and asked Khan to approach an ATC by August 25 — as it is the relevant forum in the case. 

However, after consulting with his legal team, Imran Khan decided not to appear before the ATC today.

Sources said that Imran Khan will meet members of his legal team this evening again and hold consultations with PTI's political committee. They said that he will approach the ATC after the upcoming PTI rally in Haripur.

The case

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 on August 20.

"We will not spare you. We will sue you," Khan said in the speech that named the police chief and the judge involved in the case against his aide Shahbaz Gill.