Islamabad Court Releases Former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Bail, Local Media Report

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has granted interim bail to Imran Khan, Pakistan's former Prime Minister and chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who is facing charges over statements directed against senior police officials and a female judge at a PTI rally in Islamabad on August 20.

Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan granted the former prime minister bail till September 1 provided he pays 100,000 Pakistani rupees ($460), while another judge, Tahir Abbas Supra, also granted him an interim bail until September 7 for unauthorized gathering along with a surety of 5,000 Pakistani rupees, the Pakistani news agency Dawn reported.

Before Thursday's hearing, Khan's plea for bail in the terrorism case was filed at the Federal Judicial Complex’s Department of Internal Affairs in Islamabad, after his lawyers argued that police registered the terrorism case against the PTI chief as an act of revenge, according to the agency.

Earlier, PTI called out its supporters to protest on the streets fearing that Khan could be arrested, the agency reported, adding that security was tightened around the Federal Judicial Complex, where the hearing took place, with Frontier Corps personnel deployed at the site and roads leasing to the complex blocked.

After the hearing Khan talked to reporters and criticized the government’s actions against him, saying that Pakistan has become a “laughing stock” in the world. He noted that the case was covered across the globe, with Pakistan being portrayed as a “banana republic” where rule of law does not exist, the news agency reported. 

In mid-April, amid a spiraling economic crisis, Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the parliament, which Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers boycotted. However, Khan appeared to have leveraged his ouster to strengthen his base of popular support. Pakistan’s government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan, has made little progress in addressing the severe economic crisis. The country’s foreign debt continues to rise, consumer prices are skyrocketing, and the high cost of basic commodities has triggered protests nationwide.