Is Pathan about to walk free? Supreme Court grants him bail in connection with the May 9 riots case
A three-member bench of the court, headed by Chief Justice Afridi and comprising Justice Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Miangul Aurangzeb, delivered the verdict after hearing detailed arguments from Khan’s counsel Salman Safdar and Punjab’s special prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi, who represented the state.
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan received major relief on Thursday as the country’s Supreme Court granted him bail in eight cases linked to the violence of May 9, 2023. The unrest erupted in Islamabad following Khan’s arrest, when his supporters allegedly rioted and vandalized property, triggering a wave of legal actions against him and several senior leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Afridi and including Justice Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Miangul Aurangzeb, delivered the ruling after hearing detailed arguments from Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar and Punjab’s special prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi, who represented the state.
Khan’s party, PTI, praised the ruling in a post on X using the hashtag Imran Khan’s Victory. Meanwhile, his international spokesperson Zulfiqar Bukhari said that the party chief now requires bail in only one remaining case. He explained that while the Supreme Court has granted Khan bail in all May 9 cases, his release still hinges on securing bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Bukhari added that despite this latest relief, Khan will not be freed due to his conviction in the Al-Qadir matter.
Bail Petitions Previously Rejected by Courts
In the cases related to the May 9 riots—including the attack on the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence—72-year-old Khan had filed a bail petition before the Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court, which was dismissed in November 2024. He later challenged this decision in the Lahore High Court (LHC), but on June 24 this year, his petition was again rejected. Following this, Khan approached the Supreme Court to contest the denial of bail.
Khan to Remain in Jail Over Corruption Case
The former Prime Minister of Pakistan has been facing multiple legal cases since his ouster in April 2022. He has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in connection with the £190 million Al-Qadir corruption case.
Stay updated with International News in Hindi on Prabhasakshi