LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday rejected bail pleas of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in eight cases pertaining to May 9 violations.
The petitions pertained to multiple FIRs lodged over the May 9 attacks on military and public installations following Khan’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Shehbaz Rizvi has given a reserved verdict regarding the bails of PTI founder Imran Khan. The bench had reserved the verdict yesterday (Monday) after hearing arguments from all sides.
Imran Khan has been seeking post-arrest bail in multiple cases stemming from the nationwide protests and violent incidents that erupted on May 9, 2023. The cases include charges of incitement, damage to public property, and disturbing the peace.
During arguments on Monday, Khan’s legal team, led by Barrister Salman Safdar, argued that the cases were politically motivated and pointed out that the PTI founder was in the custody of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) when the riots took place.
“He had no knowledge of the events happening outside,” the lawyer said, adding that his client condemned the violence and should be granted bail.
The prosecution had opposed the bail petitions and urged the court to dismiss them.
Dismissal new low in Pakistan’s judicial history
Expressing dismay on the dismissal of bail pleas, Imran’s lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry said that these bail petitions are unique in the judicial history of Pakistan (subcontinent), and came up with several arguments to support his claim.
Giving details in a post to his official X account, he said these bail applications were filed in the Anti-Terrorism Court Lahore in 2023 when Imran Khan was residing in Zaman Park.