- ATC Islamabad extends pre-arrest bail of several PTI leaders till July 22 in Nov 26 protest case
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday, while pronouncing a reserved verdict, rejected the bail petitions of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan in eight cases of May 9 riots.
A two-member LHC bench, headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, and comprising Justice Tariq Mehmood Bajwa, announced the decision reserved a day earlier upon completion of argument by both parties.
The high court rejected the bail pleas of the former prime minister in the Jinnah House attack case, number 96/23, registered at Sarwar Road police station of Lahore; in the police attack case registered at Mughalpura police station of Lahore; in the Supreme Court judge’s squad attack case registered at Sarwar Road police station; in the police attack case also registered at Sarwar Road police station.
Similarly, the court rejected Imran’s bail pleas in the Shadman Police Station attack case registered at Shadman police station of Lahore; in the Askari Tower attack case registered at Gulberg police station of Lahore; in the Leader Club attack case registered at Racecourse police station of Lahore, and in another police attack case registered at Sarwar Road police station.
The court had reserved its verdict yesterday.
Earlier, an anti-terrorism court had dismissed the PTI founder’s bail applications in all these cases, leading the party to appeal the denial in the high court.
During proceedings in LHC, a prosecutor had told the court that the PTI founder directed party leaders and workers to attack military installations.
He further said that the PTI founder had been inciting public sentiment against state institutions following his ouster from power. The prosecutor alleged that the PTI founder had declined to undergo polygraph and photogrammetric testing, and had repeatedly ignored trial court orders.
Barrister Salman Safdar, the counsel for Imran Khan, argued that his client was falsely implicated in these cases at a later stage, as he had already been in custody on May 9.
The prosecutor informed the court that the riots caused an estimated Rs40 million in damage to police equipment, while the attack on Jinnah House alone led to losses exceeding Rs520 million.
ATC Islamabad adjourns hearing on 229 pre-arrest bail petitions till July 22
Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Islamabad extended pre-arrest bail of several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders until July 22.
The court heard a total of 229 pre-arrest bail petitions filed by PTI leaders in relation to cases registered following November 26 protest. The hearing was presided over by Duty Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, who was filling in for ATC Judge Abual-Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain.
PTI leaders included Seemabia Tahir, Zartaj Gul, Mishal Yousafzai, Salman Akram Raja, Raja Basharat, Umair Niazi, Sher Ali Arbab, Shahram Tarakai, Ali Bukhari, Raoof Hasan, Naeem Panjotha, Aliya Hamza, Dawar Khan, and Fazal Muhammad Khan appeared in court, while exemption pleas from Bushra Bibi, Omar Ayub, Shehryar Afridi, and Iman Waseem were submitted.
The court directed both prosecution and defense lawyers to present arguments at the next hearing and adjourned the proceedings until July 22. These cases were registered at multiple police stations, including Karachi Company, Ramna, Secretariat, Tarnol, and others.
In a separate ruling, the court dismissed the pre-arrest bail plea of PTI MNA Abdul Latif Chitrali, citing that he is a convicted individual in the May 9 case and has not surrendered. The judge emphasized that a fugitive from the law is not entitled to legal relief. The defense’s request to withdraw the plea was also denied. The next hearing is scheduled for July 22, where arguments from both sides will be heard.
