Pakistani court overturns terrorism charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The accusations relate to a speech by Khan in which he allegedly threatened police officers and justice officials.
Reuters - A high court in Pakistan on Monday dropped terrorism charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his defense lawyers said, a relief for the former cricket star who has faced a series of legal problems since being ousted from office.
The court said Khan's alleged offense did not attract terrorism charges, Faisal Chaudhry, one of his lawyers, told Reuters.
The accusations relate to a speech by Khan in which he allegedly threatened police officers and justice officials after one of his close aides was denied bail in a sedition case.
"The case against Imran Khan, however, will remain intact, and will now be tried in a regular court instead of an anti-terrorism court," Chaudhry said.
"This is essentially an order to dismiss the charges," another of his lawyers, Babar Awan, told Reuters, adding: "This only proves that these are fabricated charges and merely a tool for political victimization."
Islamabad police filed charges against Khan in August, following his public statements that he would not spare the police and a court official who had denied bail to his aide.
Khan later explained that his remarks were not intended as a threat.
The former prime minister has faced several lawsuits since his ouster in April in a confidence vote won by opposition parties in an effort led by his successor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
One of the cases is at a crucial stage in the high court, which is expected to indict Khan on September 22 for contempt of court for threatening the court officer. If convicted, he could face disqualification from politics for at least five years.
Another case involves foreign funding for his party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, which an electoral court deemed illegal.
Khan, who came to power in a 2018 election allegedly with the support of the Pakistani military, has fallen out of favor with the powerful generals. Both the military and Khan deny that he came to power with the military's support.
Since his ouster, he has held rallies across the country to demand early elections, but the ruling coalition has refused, saying the election will be held as scheduled by the end of 2023.