A prominent Pakistani TV anchorman has been released from custody after he was granted bail in one case and had 16 other charges dropped, a government attorney said.
Pervez Shaukat, the Punjab advocate-general, on July 9 said Imran Riaz Khan was granted bail for 10 days -- until his next hearing -- on a charge of "inciting people for agitation and creating chaos."
Sixteen other cases were dismissed by the court, Shaukat said.
Khan was taken into custody on July 5, although weeks earlier a court in Islamabad had ordered police not to arrest him and several other journalists over complaints accusing them of inciting hatred against the country's powerful military.
Khan, an anchor who most recently hosted a show on Samaa TV, has publicly supported former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The two are not related.
The former prime minister has spoken out against the TV anchor's arrest.
Shaukat told the Lahore High Court at a July 9 hearing that the government -- which had unsuccessfully attempted to bring treason charges against the anchor -- had no objections to the granting of bail.
Imran Khan was ousted as prime minister in April in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. He claims the removal was part of a U.S. plot, an allegation denied by Washington.
Sami Ibrahim, another TV anchor who has expressed support for the former prime minister, was attacked and beaten by two assailants outside his Islamabad office on July 9. The assailants fled the scene.
