Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan during a press conference in Wazirabad, Pakistan, November 4, 2022. MOHSIN RAZA / REUTERS
A relative of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested last week for criticizing members of the Election Commission was released on bail on Wednesday 1er February, according to his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Fawad Chaudhry, who was Minister of Information under the government of Imran Khan, before he was ousted in April 2022 by a vote of no confidence, was arrested at his home in Lahore (East).
A deposit of 20,000 rupees
A court in Islamabad has “granted Fawad Chaudhry bail on bail of 20,000 rupees (68 euros) on the condition that he does not reoffenda PTI spokesperson told AFP.
His lawyer confirmed the news to the press outside the court. Fawad Chaudhry was accused of havingbullied and bulliedin television interviews with members of the Electoral Commission and their families, according to a police report released by the PTI, the political party led by Imran Khan.
Acute political crisis
Pakistan has been in the throes of a serious political crisis since the ousting of Imran Khan. The former cricket champion continues to enjoy solid popularity and is striving to secure early elections before the deadline set for mid-October. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government is doing everything to prevent them from taking place sooner, in order to give itself a chance to recover the economy and its faltering popularity by then.
Read alsoIn Pakistan, the fall of Prime Minister Imran Khan
Imran Khan came to power in 2018, after the victory in the legislative elections of the PTI, on a populist platform combining promises of social reforms, religious conservatism and the fight against corruption. But under his tenure, the economic situation deteriorated and he lost the support of the army which had been accused of helping to get him elected. Last November, he was shot and wounded during a political rally. He attributed the assassination attempt to his successor and a senior army intelligence officer, without providing evidence for his allegations.
SEE ALSO – Pakistan: Imran Khan freed on bail by an anti-terrorism court