Imran Khan approaches ATC, seeks bail in 12 terrorism cases linked to May 9 riots

LAHORE: Jailed former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has approached an Anti-Terrorism Court here seeking bail in 12 cases linked to last year's May 9 riots, a media report said on Tuesday.

The 71-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician's legal team, led by lawyer Salman Safdar, has filed the petitions, the Express Tribune reported on Tuesday.

Khan, who is currently on judicial remand in all the cases, claims that there is no recovery to be made from him. He argues that the cases are based on malice and are a form of political retaliation against him.

The petitions request the court to grant post-arrest bail in these cases.

Recently, the Lahore High Court (LHC) provided major relief to Khan by declaring his physical remand in several May 9 cases null and void.

LHC division bench comprising Justices Tariq Saleem and Anwarul Haq had passed the order on petitions filed by Khan challenging the ATC's decision to approve his physical remand in the cases related to the May 9 violence.

After hearing the arguments of the prosecutor general and Khan's counsel, the LHC set aside the anti-terrorism court's decision to grant his physical remand noting that he will remain in judicial custody in these cases.

The May 9 riots in 2023 were triggered nationwide after Khan was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a 190-million-pound corruption case. He faces over 200 cases and has been in jail since August last year.

Khan has been imprisoned at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for almost a year upon his conviction in three cases - the Toshakhana corruption case, the cipher case, and the un-Islamic marriage case -- in which his wife, Bushra Bibi, is also jailed.

Though Khan had secured bail or his conviction was set aside, he has not been released.

Khan was arrested on August 5 last year after his conviction in the first Toshakhana corruption case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Since then, he has been kept in jail in various cases.

The PTI believes he is being arrested in more cases at the behest of the powerful military establishment to make sure that he does not come out of jail.