Imran Khan due to appear in Pakistani court
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan will appear in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) today.
Khan will appear after receiving bail from the IHC over his failure to appear at a previous hearing at a sessions court. The former prime minister was arrested on August 20th in Islamabad over his remarks against senior police officials and a judge at a rally. Khan was removed from office in April this year through a vote of no-confidence in parliament but has since been holding rallies calling for elections—which are due to take place next year.
Despite the Election Commission of Pakistan barring him from speaking at rallies and a fine of just US$270, Khan has since continued to use rallies as a means of applying pressure on current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government. Although Pakistan’s Supreme Court has denied Khan’s calls for early elections, political support within his Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI) remains strong. The PTI has supported Khan throughout his refusal to appear in court on three occasions.
In the short-term, Khan’s support is unlikely to lead to a new term in office. Pakistan faces instability amid historic flooding and upcoming debt payments to China and the IMF, which Khan is unlikely to resolve.
