- Witnesses testimony prima facie reflected ‘conspiracy and abetment’ for offences committed on May 9 were perpetrated by the petitioner: court verdict
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) ruled on Thursday that former prime minister Imran Khan was involved in the conspiracy behind the violent events of May 9, 2023, noting the prosecution evidence concerning offenses amounted to “conspiracy and abetment”.
In its verdict on the dismissal of Imran Khan’s post-arrest bail petition in eight cases of May 9 riots, testimonies from two police officials cited sufficient grounds for “criminal conspiracy and abetment.”
In their detailed order, Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa said: “In this view of the matter argument furnished by learned counsel for the petitioner (Imran Khan) to the effect that on May 9, 2023, the petitioner was in jail is of no help to him.”
Imran had approached the LHC seeking post-arrest bail in eight cases of the May 9 riots, including an attack on the corps commander’s residence, in January. The other cases involve attacks on Askari Tower at Liberty, PML-N offices in Model Town, Shadman police station, the burning of police vehicles near Jinnah House and violence at Sherpao Bridge. Previously, an antiterrorism court had on Nov 27, 2024, denied bail to the former prime minister in these cases. The LHC had also denied the request last week in a short order.
“The statements by Inspector Ismat Kamal and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Hassan Afzal place Imran as the one who perpetrated meetings held on May 4 at Chakri Rest Area, Rawalpindi, and on May 7 and 9 in Lahore. The court said this undermines the argument that Imran was in jail during the violence on May 9.”
“These statements attract the provisions of Section 120-B and Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code,” reads the judgment. Both sections deal with criminal conspiracy and abetment of mutiny, which carry serious legal consequences.
During the hearing, the court observed that Imran’s prior conviction in the Al-Qadir Trust case was uncontested. It also said that his alleged statements and actions had led to the loss of lives and damage to state property.
The prosecution submitted audio and video clips, including transcripts prepared by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), which require forensic examination. The authorities had obtained court permission to conduct photogrammetry, polygraph and voice-matching tests within jail premises. However, investigators reported that Imran repeatedly refused to cooperate, hindering progress.
The court concluded that the charges fall under the prohibitory clause of Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which bars bail in serious offences. It found no new circumstances to justify further inquiry or release on bail.
“In collective consideration of the facts…we are not inclined to grant post-arrest bail to the petitioner,” the court stated, dismissing the petition outright.
