ISLAMABAD: PTI chief Imran Khan would not be facing a terrorism charge – Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act – in the case registered against him over his remarks against Additional Sessional Judge Zeba Chaudhry and officials of the Islamabad Police during a rally in Islamabad last month.

A two-member IHC bench led by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah announced the reserved decision on the PTI chief application for the removal of terrorism sections in the case. However, other charges would continue in the relevant forums.

The case should be transferred from the Anti-Terrorism Court under other provisions, said the decision.

Salman Safdar, Imran’s lawyer, special prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi and a police investigation officer appeared before the court.

The court had summoned a report from the JIT in the last hearing of the case.

IHC CJ Minallah asked about the joint investigation team’s opinion on the case during today’s hearing. Police prosecutor Abbasi said the JIT was of the opinion that the terrorism charge should remain in the case.

Imran appeared before the JIT on September 14. The JIT handed the PTI chief a questionnaire with 21 questions after quizzing him for about 20 minutes. “The terrorism case against me has become a joke before the world,” the PTI chairperson had said while interacting with journalists afterwards.

A terrorism case could be registered on the basis of creating an atmosphere of fear and terror, not on the “mere possibility” of creating such an atmosphere, the lawyer contended. “What impression will the case against Imran leave on the world level?”

The IHC chief justice remarked that stick to the trial. Imran’s lawyer said the case was registered after his client made a statement at the rally.

IHC Chief Justice Minallah instructed the prosecutor to read out the “threatening portions” from Imran’s speech, and Abbasi obliged.

“You should be ashamed IG and DIG. We won’t spare you, file a case against you. Ms magistrate you should also get ready. Action will be taken against you,” he read out.

“Are these the only sentences?” the judge asked.

“Terrorism provisions have been made a mockery by making this case,” Imran’s lawyer told IHC, adding that his client’s comment to “take action” pertained to taking legal action. Such statements did not warrant a case, he added.

The chief justice inquired if Imran’s comments were an attempt to influence the pending case. Safdar replied that by the time the expungement petition was filed, the case did not include any other provisions other than terrorism.

Prosecutor Abbasi said that Section 186 (imprisonment for three months) of the Pakistan Penal Code has been removed from the case. He added that Section 189 (threat of injury to public servant) of PPC has been added to the case.

Later, the court had reserved its decision after hearing arguments in the case.

Imran’s ‘controversial’ statements

PTI Chairman Imran had warned the judiciary against its “biased” attitude towards his party while reacting to the court proceedings against Shahbaz Gill at the Islamabad rally on August 20, saying that it should brace itself for the consequences.

The former prime minister had also warned additional district and sessions judge Zeba Chaudhry, who had approved the two-day physical remand of Gill on the request of the capital police in a sedition case, that she, too, would face dire consequences.

Imran had threatened to file cases against Islamabad’s inspector general of police and deputy inspector general of police, saying, “We won’t spare you.” Later, he was booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (punishment for acts of terrorism) on Sunday for “threatening” a female judge and senior police officers.

Another case was registered against the former premier for violating Section 144. However, new sections were later added to the FIR, against which the PTI chief had approached the court.

The section added to the FIR later was Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 186 (imprisonment for three months), and 188 (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.