ISLAMABAD : The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday approved bail for PTI founder Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9 incidents.
The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, heard the petitions and granted relief to Khan. Earlier, the bench was reconstituted, replacing Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb with Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi.
During proceedings, Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi explained his absence from the previous hearing due to illness. The Chief Justice responded that it was not an issue.
The bench posed two key questions to both the prosecution and Khan’s counsel:
1. Can a court issue a final finding in a bail matter?
2. Given that the Supreme Court has previously granted bail in conspiracy-related cases, does the principle of consistency apply here?
Naqvi argued that court observations in bail cases are always interim in nature and do not affect the trial, citing multiple precedents. He also contended that unlike past cases, the present matter involves evidence of conspiracy circulating on social media.
Chief Justice Afridi, however, stressed that merits will be decided by the trial court and the Supreme Court would not examine factual details at this stage. He asked the prosecution to present any precedent where bail was denied in a conspiracy case, reminding that the Court had recently approved bail in three similar cases.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, maintained that all relevant precedents favored granting bail.
The Chief Justice concluded by reiterating that observations in bail cases are temporary and should not prejudice the trial.
It may be recalled that Thursday’s hearing was adjourned after the Special Prosecutor fell ill, and the case was fixed again for today.
In November 2024, a Lahore anti-terrorism court rejected Imran Khan’s bail request in cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots, including the attack on the Lahore corps commander’s residence.
His appeal against the decision was dismissed by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on June 24. Days later, the jailed PTI leader challenged the ruling before the Supreme Court.
