The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday granted bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9 disturbances. A three-judge panel, led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, heard appeals challenging prior Lahore High Court rulings and subsequently approved the bail requests. Despite this legal victory, Khan remains incarcerated due to a 14-year sentence in a separate corruption case and his arrest in the Toshakhana-II case. His legal team has challenged the corruption verdict in the Islamabad High Court, hoping for further reprieve.
During the proceedings, Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi contended that the May 9 events were orchestrated under Khan’s directives. He highlighted that these cases are pending before anti-terrorism courts and that Khan’s previous bail applications had been denied over the past two years. The bench questioned the prosecution’s evidence directly implicating Khan, with Naqvi presenting three witness accounts. Chief Justice Afridi clarified that the court’s focus was solely on bail, not the trial’s merits, emphasizing that definitive proof would be evaluated by the trial courts.
Justice Azhar Hasan Rizvi inquired about the difference between Khan’s situation and that of former Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, who had received bail in a similar May 9 case. The prosecutor failed to provide a clear distinction, arguing only that Khan’s lack of a polygraph test disqualified him from bail. The bench identified weaknesses in the prosecution’s arguments, with Justice Rizvi noting that police should have completed their investigation during the two months Khan was previously out on bail.
The court also recognized that Khan hadn’t undergone voice matching, photogrammetric, and polygraphic tests despite court authorization. Chief Justice Afridi acknowledged that non-compliance would have legal repercussions but reiterated that trial courts would determine the evidence’s significance. The bench composition changed before the hearing, with Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi replacing Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.
The May 9, 2023 incidents involved widespread unrest following Khan’s apprehension at the Islamabad High Court in a corruption inquiry. During these protests, government and military facilities, including the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore and the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, were targeted. While some PTI members secured bail after their arrests, others remain imprisoned. The former prime minister, removed from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022, has been detained since August 2023, facing numerous charges ranging from corruption to terrorism.