The Lahore High Court has approved the protective bail of former prime minister Imran Khan in seven terrorism cases for two weeks. A two-member bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi heard the protective bail pleas.
The protective bail was granted in cases filed in various cities, including Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Mianwali.
Earlier, the court upheld the objection of the registrar’s office and declared the petitions for interim bail in the seven cases non-maintainable.
The PTI chief had approached the high court for interim bail in seven cases related to the May 9 incidents. The registrar’s office had raised an objection that the interim bail plea must first be filed in the trial court concerned.
Imran Khan’s lawyer told the court that cases have been filed against his client in four different cities, adding he could not travel to these cities owing to security concerns. “We regularly appear in the courts of Islamabad,” Barrister Salman Safdar said.
The Registrar’s Office had earlier objected that the interim bails must first be filed in the trial court concerned. “I have never given an interim bail directly like this,” Justice Najafi remarked.
The counsel said Imran Khan has been named in cases registered in Rawalpindi, Mianwali, Faisalabad and Gujranwala. We want to be informed about the facts by joining the investigation,“ the PTI chief’s lawyer stated.
He pleaded with the high court to hear the bail pleas in view of security threats. Earlier, the Lahore High Court heard the bail application directly in the anti-corruption case as well.
The court should grant interim bail in all the eight cases, and order the police not to arrest in these cases, the petition sought.
