Pakistan: Anti-Terrorism court grants pre-arrest bail to Imran Khan in three cases

Lahore [Pakistan], May 19 (ANI): A Lahore anti-terrorism court has granted pre-arrest bail to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in three cases registered against him after the May 9 violence that started after his arrest in the Al Qadir Trust case, Dawn reported.

The ATC judge barred the police from arresting Imran Khan till June 2.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) Judge Ijaz Ahmed Buttar announced the verdict after hearing arguments from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s counsel Salman Safdar in cases related to the attack on the Jinnah House, PTI protesters’ clashes with police at Zaman Park and Zilley Shah’s murder, ARY News reported.

The cases were lodged against Imran Khan at Sarwar Road, Shahdman and Gulberg police stations. During the hearing, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said that the cases lodged against Imran Khan were politically motivated.

Salman Safdar expressed concerns over no action taken against the individual responsible for injuring the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and questioned why the attacker had not been arrested, as per the news report.

The ATC judge asked Imran Khan’s lawyer to cooperate with the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the Zilley Shah murder case and warned to cancel his client’s bail in case of non-cooperation. Salman Safdar assured the court that they will cooperate with the team investigating the Zilley Shah murder case.

After the arguments in the hearing, the ATC judge decided to reserve the decision on the interim bail applications of Imran Khan in two cases pertaining to the Zaman Park vandalism case, according to ARY News report.

The ATC judge barred the police from arresting Imran Khan till June 2. Ijaz Ahmed Buttar also directed Imran Khan to become part of the investigation in the cases and submit surety bonds worth Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 100,000 in all the cases, according to ARY News report.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was arrested by Rangers personnel from Islamabad High Court (IHC). The PTI chairman was arrested as part of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

After Imran Khan’s arrest, PTI workers held protests in cities across the country, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, reported Geo News. Several videos surfacing on social media platforms show groups of men, some with their faces covered, entering the gated premises of GHQ with sticks, which they later were seen using to hit the walls.