ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan court granted bail on Thursday to former prime minister Imran Khan’s close aide, whose arrest and alleged torture led to the ex-leader facing charges of his own in the high-stakes legal case.
Shahbaz Gill, an official in Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was arrested last month over comments about the nation’s army.
Gill said on TV that junior officers should not follow orders that violate “the will of the majority”, but he was detained soon after on charges of sedition “tantamount to inciting the rank and file of armed forces towards revolt”.
Since then Khan has been charged under the anti-terrorism act, and with contempt of court, after criticising the magistrate who signed off on Gill’s detention - claiming she kept him in custody despite knowing he was being tortured by police.
The byzantine case against Khan could see him barred from high office if it results in a conviction.
Gill’s lawyer Salman Safdar told AFP the Islamabad high court granted him bail on Thursday morning, with a bond of 500,000 rupees ($2,000).
“We are waiting for court’s orders, and he will be released later today,” he said.
Khan is set to be indicted on contempt charges at the Islamabad High Court on September 22, and has been bailed until September 20 on separate charges by the Anti-Terrorism Court.
