Pakistan Court Drops Terrorism Complaint Against Imran Khan
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(Bloomberg) -- A Pakistan court ordered police to drop investigations into a terrorism complaint against former leader Imran Khan for allegedly threatening a female judge and senior police officials during a public rally last month.
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A two-judge panel of the Islamabad High Court led by Chief Justice Athar Minallah handed down the order while accepting Khan’s appeal to withdraw the terrorism complaint, his lawyer Ali Zafar, said by phone. The former premier will still be investigated under less stringent sections of Pakistan’s penal code in the same case, he said. Few other details were immediately not known.
If Khan had faced charges under the special terror law he would’ve been ineligible for bail. He can still face life in prison if charged and convicted separately.
The order ends one of many legal worries for the former cricketer-turned-politician. He faces several other court cases since his removal from office in April through a no-confidence vote in parliament. Separately, the court is scheduled to frame charges against Khan for contempt of court on Sept. 22 for threatening a female judge during the same speech in Islamabad. Any criminal conviction will bar former premier from running for office for five years.
His party is also appealing an Election Commission ruling that it took illegal foreign funds.
(Updates with details throughout)
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