In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of Pakistan approved bail on Thursday for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in eight separate cases related to the May 9 riots. The decision was delivered by a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and including Justices Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Muhammad Shafi. This ruling overturns a prior decision by the Lahore High Court (LHC), which had rejected Khan’s bail petitions back in June.
The cases in question pertain to the violent protests that erupted on May 9, including the high-profile attack on Jinnah House in Lahore. The former prime minister, who has been incarcerated for over two years, had challenged the LHC’s verdict in the Supreme Court. His legal team contended that the First Information Reports (FIRs) lodged against him were devoid of substantial evidence and that the allegations of his direct involvement were entirely baseless.
A central pillar of Khan’s appeal was the argument that he was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at the time the riots occurred, making it physically impossible for him to have participated in the events. The plea further highlighted what it termed “contradictions” within the prosecution’s statements, casting significant doubt on the integrity of the cases built against him.
Furthermore, the PTI founder’s legal team expressed suspicions of mala fide intent, pointing out that police had avoided arresting him for five months following the incidents. They argued that this delay rendered subsequent police statements unreliable and that their client was entitled to bail as a right. The appeal also called for a more thorough investigation into the entire matter.
