Pakistan Supreme Court Grants Bail to Imran Khan in Eight May 9 Cases

Islamabad: Report by. (M.Salim jutt) Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in eight cases linked to the violent protests of May 9.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi annulled an earlier decision of the Lahore High Court and accepted Khan’s petitions for bail. The court summoned both parties to its chamber for issuance of the written order.

During the hearing, the Chief Justice questioned whether final findings could be given in a bail matter and whether the principle of consistency applied in conspiracy-related cases. He remarked that in past instances, the Supreme Court had granted bail in similar cases, adding that trial courts must decide the merits.

Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi argued that judicial observations in bail cases are interim in nature and do not affect trial proceedings. Khan’s counsel Salman Safdar assured the bench that precedents of bail granted in conspiracy-related cases were available.

The decision comes a day after the hearing was postponed due to the prosecutor’s ill health.