ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday extended the interim bail of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan till Sept 20.

ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan resumed hearing on the petition seeking pre-arrest bail for Mr Khan in a case registered against him for hurling threats to additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) Zeba Chaudhry, inspector general of police and deputy inspector general on Aug 20.

Special prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi told the court that the PTI chairman did not join the investigation despite being summoned thrice, which was contradictory to the IHC’s observations.

Imran Khan’s counsel Babar Awan said the prosecution had been informed that his client had submitted his statement to the investigating officer through his legal counsel, adding that under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), personal appearance in a police station was not mandatory.

He, however, said Mr Khan would personally visit the police station if the court issued a direction, but reminded that the former prime minister was facing threats to his life.

Mr Abbasi argued that it was the prerogative of the investigation officer or the joint investigation team (JIT) to set modalities for probe, adding that the law did not permit an accused to submit a statement through a counsel.

In response to the security concerns, Mr Abbasi said the state was responsible for providing security to Imran Khan.

Judge Hassan remarked that the court would not interfere in the investigation and advised both the prosecution and defence counsel to resolve the issue on their own.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2022