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

According to Dawn, a Lahore anti-terrorism court has granted former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan pre-arrest bail in three cases filed against him following the May 9 violence that erupted following his arrest in the Al Qadir Trust case.

The ATC judge ordered the police not to arrest Imran Khan until June 2. According to ARY News, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) Judge Ijaz Ahmed Buttar issued the verdict after hearing arguments from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s counsel Salman Safdar in cases relating to the Jinnah House attack, PTI protesters clashing with police at Zaman Park, and Zilley Shah’s murder.

Imran Khan was charged at the Sarwar Road, Shahdman, and Gulberg police stations.

Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, stated during the hearing that the cases filed against him were politically motivated.

According to the news report, Salman Safdar expressed concern about the lack of action taken against the individual responsible for injuring the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and questioned why the attacker had not been arrested.

The ATC judge instructed Imran Khan’s lawyer to cooperate with the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the Zilley Shah murder case, and threatened to revoke his client’s bail if he did not. Salman Safdar assured the court that they will work with the team investigating the murder of Zilley Shah.

According to ARY News, following the arguments in the hearing, the ATC judge decided to reserve the decision on Imran Khan’s interim bail applications in two cases relating to the Zaman Park vandalism case.
The ATC judge ordered the police not to arrest Imran Khan until June 2. According to ARY News, Ijaz Ahmed Buttar also directed Imran Khan to participate in the investigations and submit surety bonds totaling Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 100,000 in all cases.

Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was arrested by Rangers from the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested the PTI chairman as part of its investigation into 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.