Islamabad Court orders Imran to appear in six cases in person

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in the federal capital on Wednesday directed jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to appear either in person or via video link at the next hearing of six cases filed against him.

The proceedings at the District and Sessions Court covered five cases linked to the May 9 unrest—including one in which former minister Shah Nawaz Ranjha was allegedly targeted in an attempted murder—as well as a separate case concerning alleged fake receipts.

Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka presided over the hearing. Khan was represented by lawyers Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, while his sisters—Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi—were present in court.

Arguing six bail applications, Safdar told the court that Khan had secured relief in earlier hearings and criticised what he termed the government’s failure to properly pursue the cases. “If the founder and Bushra Bibi are not produced here, Adiala Jail is available. If they are not presented, the superintendent of the jail should appear,” he said.

Referring to Khan’s reported health concerns, Safdar argued that stress could affect eyesight and urged the court to decide the bail applications on Wednesday.

Judge Majoka sought clarification on which bail pleas had previously been rejected, after which the defence counsel identified four instances. The prosecution requested additional time to prepare arguments and sought a new date for hearing.

Safdar also criticised the absence of investigating officers, stating they had neither appeared before the court nor completed required inquiries. The judge directed that complete records of all six cases be produced by February 24 and ordered investigating officers to appear with the documents at the next hearing. Proceedings were adjourned until February 24.

May 9 unrest background

The May 9 riots erupted across the country following Khan’s arrest, as supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged protests that targeted civil and military installations, including Jinnah House in Lahore and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The military described the events as a “Black Day” and announced that those involved would be tried under the Army Act. Numerous PTI members were subsequently arrested and tried in military courts. In December, military courts convicted 25 individuals, including Khan’s nephew Hassan Khan Niazi, and later handed down sentences to 60 more.

In January 2025, 19 convicts had their sentences remitted following successful mercy petitions, though PTI criticised the limited scope of the pardons.

Military trials had initially been halted after a ruling by the Supreme Court of Pakistan but later resumed following judicial directions to conclude pending cases and announce verdicts related to the violent incidents.