ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday granted bail to Imran Khan, Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 10 cases including Toshakhana case and the murder of a senior lawyer in Quetta.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the petitions of the PTI chairman and granted him 14-day protective bail in the Abdul Razzaq murder case.
Imran Khan along with others was booked in the case of Abdul Razzaq Shar, who was killed by armed motorcyclists on Airport Road in Quetta, Balochistan on Wednesday. An first information report (FIR) had been registered on the complaint of the slain lawyer’s son advocate Siraj Ahmed in Quetta, under the charges of murder, Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), and other provisions.
The murdered lawyer had filed a constitutional petition against the PTI chairman in the Balochistan High Court, seeking proceedings against him under Article 6 that pertained to high treason. His petition said that Imran Khan should be tried under Article 6 in light of the apex court decision which had recommended legal action against Imran Khan and Qasim Suri for illegally dissolving the National Assembly after the joint opposition had moved a no-trust motion against the PTI government in April 2022.
During the hearing, PTI lawyer Salman Safdar said that his client would have to travel to Quetta for the case and pointed out that there were no flights available. The judges subsequently granted Imran protective bail for two weeks. After granting protective bail to Imran in this case, the IHC bench also directed the PTI chief to appear before the relevant court.
Meanwhile, a set of fresh petitions was filed in the IHC earlier in the day by Imran seeking bail in five new cases related to the May 9 protests and another case of fake Toshakhana receipt.
The IHC bench comprising Justice Aamer also granted Imran bail in eight other cases till June 12. Six of these cases were linked to the May 9 violence, while one each pertained to attempted murder and allegations against top officers of state institutions.
During the proceedings, Imran’s lawyer Intezar Panjotha requested the court to grant his client protective bail for two weeks. He mentioned that the PTI chief had filed similar pleas earlier as well.
The counsel said that last week, they had requested that their cases at the F-8 Katcheri be moved to the Federal Judicial Complex and the high court had accepted our request. He added that they want to go to the new court but so far, the shifting [of cases] has not been completed. He further said that his client had security concerns at the F-8 Katcheri.
Prior to Imran’s arrival, the same IHC bench also granted an extension in its order issued last month in which it had stayed the criminal proceedings against the PTI chairman in the Toshakhana reference.
The reference alleges that Imran had “deliberately concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana — a depository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept — during his time as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.
During the hearing, the court extended its stay orders at the request of Imran’s lawyer, Khawaja Haris, who sought a weeklong adjournment in the proceedings. However, the ECP counsel urged the court to revoke its order that prevents the trial court from taking action against the ex-PM.
Haris brought to the court’s attention that he had filed a petition challenging the jurisdiction of the trial court. After hearing the arguments, Justice Aamer deferred the hearing of the case till June 14 for further proceedings.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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