ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court after the Lahore High Court rejected his post-arrest bail petitions in several May 9 violence cases.
The appeal challenges the High Court’s decision and seeks relief from the top court, requesting that bail be granted in the cases related to attacks on state and military installations, including the Jinnah House incident in Lahore.
Imran Khan has named the federal government and Inspector Imran Sadiq of Lahore’s Gulberg Police Station as respondents in the petition.
The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had earlier dismissed Khan’s bail requests in eight different cases related to the May 9 riots, which followed his arrest in 2023. The ATC judge, Manzar Ali Gul, presided over the hearings.
During arguments, Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, maintained that his client had no involvement in the events of May 9, noting that Imran Khan was in custody at the time. He added that Khan had publicly condemned the violence that erupted on that day.
Safdar argued that the cases were politically motivated and pointed out that courts had already ruled in favor of Khan in about 30 similar cases, including 25 decisions he claimed were directly comparable.
He further criticized the state’s approach, stating that law enforcement had shifted narratives repeatedly, alleging conspiracies without consistency. “The government has tried everything — googlies, off-breaks, and doosras,” the lawyer remarked.
Imran Khan’s legal team now hopes the Supreme Court will intervene and overturn the Lahore High Court’s decision, granting bail in the politically sensitive cases.