Pakistan Barrs Former PM’s Impending Arrest Over Terrorism

The court ordered Khan not to be arrested until September 1 after allegations that he threatened police officers and a female judge during a speech over the weekend.


A Pakistani court on Thursday extended former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s protection from arrest until the end of August.

This comes after police filed terrorism charges against the country’s popular opposition leader.

The court ordered Khan not to be arrested until September 1 after allegations that he threatened police officers and a female judge during a speech over the weekend.

The developments leading up to Khan’s court relief raised fears of violent clashes between police and Khan, who is leading mass rallies and calling for snap elections after being deposed. According to the government, elections will take place in 2023.

Khan told reporters outside the court on Thursday that he never threatened anyone. He claimed the terrorism charges were politically motivated and that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government was concerned about his growing popularity.

Earlier, Khan’s lawyer asked the anti-terrorism court to keep Khan from being arrested. According to Babar Awan, the terrorism charges filed against Khan were “an act of vengeance.”

When Khan arrived at court, he was told to walk toward the courtroom like any other suspect. Hundreds of Khan Supporters gathered outside the courthouse, chanting anti-Sharif slogans. Demonstrators claimed Sharif’s government is politically exploiting Khan.

He later left the court for his home on Islamabad’s outskirts.
However, Legal experts say he could face from several months to 14 years in prison, the equivalent of a life sentence if he is found guilty by the court during the terror trial which is yet to commence.

His appearance before the anti-terrorism tribunal on Thursday, amid tight security, was the latest development in the saga between Pakistan’s government and Khan, who has been holding mass rallies in an attempt to reclaim power.

Khan is also scheduled to appear before the Islamabad High Court on August 31 to face contempt charges for threatening a judge. In this case, his conviction means he will be barred from politics for the rest of his life under Pakistani law. No one who has been convicted of a crime is eligible to run for office.

Khan, a former cricketer turned Islamist politician, is facing contempt charges for the second time. Following the 1993 elections, he was summoned but pardoned by the Supreme Court, which described the judiciary’s conduct as “shameful” and stated that it did not ensure free and fair elections.

According to legal experts, Khan has few options and may avoid a conviction if he apologizes for his remarks against Judge Zeba Chaudhry, in which he told her to “get ready for it, we will also take action against you.”

Khan made that scathing remark about Judge Chaudhry after she allowed police to question Gill, Khan’s party’s chief of staff. Gill was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of inciting soldiers to revolt against the top military leadership. Gill had been arrested the day before and was being held in jail pending his trial.

Khan has claimed, without providing evidence, that Pakistan’s powerful military was involved in a US plot to depose him. The allegation has been denied by Washington, the Pakistani military, and the government of Khan’s successor, Shahbaz Sharif.

Khan came to power on the promise of breaking the cycle of family rule in Pakistan. His opponents claim he was elected with the help of the country’s powerful military, which has ruled for half of its 75-year history. Since his ouster, Khan has also called for early elections and vowed to depose Sharif’s government through “popular pressure.”