An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Tuesday extended the interim bail of Imran Khan until 13 April in three cases filed relating to the clashes that took place between his supporters and the police outside the residence of the former prime minister in Lahore last month.
ATC Judge Abher Gul Khan, issuing the orders, extended the bail of 70-year-old Khan in multiple cases after the cricketer-turned-politician appeared before the court in a personal capacity, the Dawn newspaper reported.
A video posted by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party showed the PTI chief arriving at the court with black headgear as his security detail held up protective shields.
In the last hearing, presiding judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar directed the PTI chief to ensure his appearance at each subsequent hearing and also join the police investigation into the cases.
The police registered the cases against Khan and other PTI leaders for allegedly attacking police teams and burning official property and vehicles outside his Zaman Park residence.
Besides Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, offences under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code have been included in the FIRs. At the beginning of Tuesday’s hearing, the judge highlighted that Khan had not yet submitted his surety bonds.
Khan’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, responded that the former prime minister was facing threats to his life. The judge then inquired whether or not Khan would appear in court, stressing that relief could be granted to anyone who appeared in court.
The court then directed Khan’s counsel to produce his client by 11 a.m. During the hearing, the leader of the joint investigation team (JIT) investigating the alleged assassination threats against the PTI chief arrived in court and said the party leader had not become a part of the investigation. The caretaker government of Punjab had on March 22 decided to form a committee led by SSP Imran Kishwar to conduct an inquiry into the claims of the ex-prime minister that a conspiracy has been hatched to assassinate him.
