The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday dismissed a significant petition from former prime minister Imran Khan seeking to merge 107 criminal cases against him, after his legal team conspicuously failed to attend the court proceedings.

The plea, originally filed in 2023, was taken up by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum after a two-year interval. It aimed to consolidate all First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder across the province of Punjab.

During the hearing, the court inquired about the volume of cases filed against the petitioner. A counsel for the Punjab government informed the bench that a total of 107 cases had been lodged against the former premier in various districts throughout the province.

The petition had argued that the multitude of registered cases was leading to legal complications and amounted to unnecessary harassment. Mr. Khan had requested the high court to club all the cases together for streamlined and consolidated proceedings.

However, despite the case being scheduled for a hearing, no legal representative appeared on behalf of the PTI founder. This absence prompted the court to reject the application on the grounds of non-prosecution, effectively disposing of the case and bringing the matter to a close without any deliberation on its merits.