ISLAMABAD: The interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in nine different cases has been extended for 10 days by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday.
The two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the high court, granted the extension despite its warning to revoke bail if Khan failed to appear in court.
Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said that 140 cases had been registered against the former prime minister and he had sought bail in all of them.
During the hearing, Safdar revealed that “something huge” was about to happen and expressed concern over the increasing use of section 154 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) outside of the court.
Justice Farooq, who presided over the bench, responded the court had offered protection for Khan to approach the relevant court, but that he had not yet joined the investigation.
When Safdar argued that the cases were politically motivated, Justice Farooq advised Khan to record his statement in one of the seven cases for which he had sought bail.
The court, after reserving its verdict, extended Khan’s interim bail in seven terror cases and directed him to approach the trial court.
The court also ordered that a medical report from a government hospital should be submitted in the future to seek an extension, and material should be provided for the plea seeking permission to appear through a video link.
In addition, the court extended Khan’s interim bail in two other cases, including threatening officers of the armed forces and the attempted murder of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MP Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, until May 9.
Furthermore, the judge ordered that Khan’s plea for staying the action on cases against him would be fixed on May 9.
During the proceedings, Khan claimed that he had informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) about a person who could harm him but refused to name the individual, alleging that they were involved in running the caretaker government.
Khan said that naming the person would result in no newspapers publishing it.
In an informal conversation with journalists, he said his party wants good relations with everyone in response to a question about meetings with American diplomats. This statement came shortly after the party’s senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry’s meeting with American envoy Donald Blome.
Using a sarcastic tone, Khan expressed his frustration about the number of cases filed against him, comparing it to his cricket score of 170 and stating that he would soon reach a double century in politics.
He also criticised former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, alleging that Bajwa said there was no oil in military tanks during several briefings.
Khan condemned Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to India during the conversation.
When asked about the rifts among the puisnes, Khan claimed that the reference against Justice Qazi Faiz Isa was initiated by people in positions above retired Gen. Faiz Hameed. He added that they were told to get answers from Justice Isa, but later realised that there was another intention behind it.
