LAHORE: In seven instances pertaining to the May 9 riots, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday reinstated the bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, providing an interim remedy.
The disqualified prime minister’s appeal against the cancellation of bail in seven instances pertaining to the events of May 9 was denied by a two-member bench led by Justice Aalia Neelum, who declared that the decision was reserved.
In addition, the high court mandated that the trial court rule on Khan’s motions for temporary bail.
The decision follows the rejection of the politico’s bail extension appeals in seven cases—including the attack on Jinnah House and the May 9 riots—by an anti-terrorism court (ATC). The politician was removed from office by a parliamentary vote in 2022.
Ijaz Ahmad Butar, the trial court’s judge, delivered the decision on August 11 of last year following the hearing of arguments from both sides.
Prior to the national polls on February 8, the imprisoned politician and the senior leadership of his party are dealing with a deluge of cases. In addition, the Imran-led party has suffered a setback following its unsuccessful legal battle to regain its recognizable “bat” electoral emblem and the legitimacy of its internal elections.
After the high court’s decision removed a significant motivator for voters, the party it sought an alliance with, PTI-Nazriati, suffered a further setback when it abandoned its earlier commitment this month.
However, the PTI’s main adversaries, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), are up against it.
