Imran Khan’s legal team upset as LHC rejects his bail pleas

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 Ali Rizvi announced the verdict, which the court had reserved 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 Imran Khan 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.

‘Will approach Supreme Court‘

Expressing dismay on the court’s decision, Imran Khan’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.

Going into details in a post to his official X account, he alleged that the petitions were initially filed in 2023 when Khan was residing in Zaman Park and that they were dismissed due to Khan’s “involuntary absence” caused by his arrest in unrelated cases.

He criticised the judiciary for what he described as “politically influenced decisions”, and accused courts of acting under pressure, claiming that physical remand in these cases was granted “over WhatsApp calls” and that bail hearings dragged on for six months without merit.

“Even during the martial law era, the judiciary had maintained a certain dignity, but now the way the judges themselves are flouting the constitution and law, such examples have never been seen before.”

Barrister Salman Akram Raja also called the LHC’s verdict disappointing and announced that the legal team would approach the Supreme Court.

Speaking outside Adiala Jail, he said he was barred from representing Imran Khan in related cases. “We will keep confronting this broken system and hold it accountable.”