On Thursday, the Supreme Court (SC) approved the bail petitions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9 incidents. The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi and including Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Muhammad Shafi, announced the verdict after hearing Khan’s plea against the rejection of his bail by the Lahore High Court (LHC).
In June, the LHC had dismissed the former prime minister’s bail applications in several cases tied to the May 9 riots, including the attack on Jinnah House in Lahore. Khan, who has been in jail for over two years, appealed the LHC’s decision to the Supreme Court. In his plea, he argued that the First Information Reports (FIRs) lacked sufficient evidence and called the allegations of his involvement in the riots baseless.
Khan’s petition to the SC stated that since he was in NAB custody at the time, it was impossible for him to participate in the riots. He also pointed out “contradictions” in the prosecution’s statements to cast doubt on the case. Furthermore, the appeal requested a further investigation, citing his suspicion of mala fide intent by the police for delaying his arrest for five months. He asserted that the delayed police statements were unreliable and that he was entitled to bail.
During the hearing, CJP Afridi asked prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi about the evidence against Khan. Naqvi replied that three witnesses had testified against him, and that photogrammetric and voice matching tests were available. “WhatsApp messages are also available,” Naqvi added, noting that the trial court had approved various tests, but Khan had not cooperated. CJP Afridi responded, “There will be legal repercussions [for this], why are you saying all that is only going in your favour?”
The top judge further remarked, “Don’t seek findings from the Supreme Court. The law itself would provide you with findings. Whatever evidence exists, let it remain in the trial court [proceedings],” while directing the official to seek findings from the trial court instead. When prosecutor Naqvi claimed the evidence was linked to the suspect, Justice Rizvi questioned whether any investigation was conducted after his post-arrest bail was approved on May 14 and whether he cooperated with the authorities. The prosecutor stressed, “The PTI founder has a central role in all [May 9] cases.”
Meanwhile, Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said that a challan had not been presented against Imran in the eight cases, and he was only named in three of the FIRs, being absent from the other five. Noting that an observation on the merits of the case by the SC could affect the trial, CJP Afridi delivered the verbal verdict, accepting the PTI founder’s bail petitions in the eight May 9 cases.
