Supreme Court Grants Imran Khan Bail in May 9 Cases

News Desk

Islamabad: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9 riots.

The decision was delivered by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi, along with Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Muhammad Shafi.

The bench was hearing Khan’s appeal against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) earlier dismissal of his bail petitions. In June, the LHC had rejected multiple bail pleas filed by the former prime minister in connection with the May 9 violence, including the attack on Lahore’s Jinnah House.

Khan, who has been imprisoned for over two years, challenged the LHC’s ruling in the Supreme Court, arguing that the First Information Reports (FIRs) lacked credible evidence and labeling the allegations against him as unfounded. He maintained that he was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at the time of the riots, making it impossible for him to be involved.

His petition also pointed to inconsistencies in the prosecution’s statements and suggested that the cases against him were driven by malicious intent. He criticized the police for delaying his arrest by five months, questioned the reliability of late police statements, and argued that he was entitled to bail and a fair investigation.