On Tuesday, Imran Khan, PTI’s founder, sought post-arrest bail from a Lahore anti-terrorism court (ATC) concerning multiple cases from the May 9 riots.
This follows the high court’s decision to cancel his physical remand.
Already in custody, Khan was re-arrested on July 15, a day after he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were detained in a new Toshakhana case, following their acquittal in the Iddat case. This new arrest jeopardized his release prospects.
Khan’s legal team, led by Barrister Salman Safdar, filed a petition for bail, arguing that the case against him is politically motivated. The petition claims that the accusations of inciting violence were made while Khan was in custody and unable to communicate.
The petition outlines ten reasons for granting bail, noting that the main charge is “abetment” related to inciting violence, and asserts that this charge is based on outdated and vague allegations. It highlights a delay of five-and-a-half months in seeking his arrest and points out that similar cases have previously resulted in bail for Khan.
It argues that evidence from social media is insufficient for penal action and claims that Khan’s continued detention is driven by political motivations. The petition stresses that since the only accusation is abetment, and he was not present at the scene, his continued incarceration is unjustified.
On July 15, an ATC granted a 10-day physical remand to the police for Khan, though a 30-day remand was requested. Khan challenged this remand in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on July 18 for 12 cases linked to violent attacks last year, seeking to transfer his custody from police to judicial.
The LHC issued notices on July 23, requesting the prosecution to justify the remand. On July 25, Justices Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Anwarul Haq Pannun set aside the 10-day physical remand, emphasizing that remand should not be granted without adequate justification. The court also canceled a notification allowing Khan to appear via video link due to security reasons.
