By Former Prime Minister and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, faced a setback as local courts in Islamabad rejected nine requests from him for bail.He had submitted nine petitions seeking bail in response to First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against him due to his involvement in violent protests.
The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad turned down three of Imran Khan’s bail requests, while Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Mohammad Sohail rejected six other petitions seeking bail. These requests were made because Imran Khan was not present during the hearings; he was in detention following his conviction in the Toshakhana case.
Imran Khan had requested bail from ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain for cases against him registered at Khanna and Barakahu Police Stations. Additionally, ADSJ Sohail dealt with bail petitions related to FIRs against Imran Khan at Karachi Company, Ramna, Kohsar, Tarnol, and Secretariat police stations.
ADSJ Sohail extended interim bail for Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, until September 7th, in a case connected to allegedly receiving false Toshakhana gifts.
Prosecutors argued that Imran Khan couldn’t be granted pre-arrest bail since he was already in jail. Investigation officers informed the court that Imran Khan had not participated in investigations for the cases against him.
Represented by Barrister Salman Safdar, Imran Khan argued that the charges against him were similar in all six FIRs and criticized the police for not actively investigating these cases.
The court was informed that Bushra Bibi had also not participated in the investigation. ADSJ Sohail extended her interim bail and encouraged her to cooperate with the investigative team.
As a result of his conviction, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had recently disqualified Imran Khan from holding public office for a five-year period.
Last week, a local court had also revoked Imran Khan’s temporary bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case involving the unauthorized transfer of 190 million pounds.
On August 12th, the Anti-Terrorism Court had rejected interim bail for Imran Khan in seven cases, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s House attack.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, appeared before a joint investigation team (JIT) regarding the Toshakhana case. She was questioned by the investigation team after visiting Imran Khan in Attock jail earlier that day.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, expressed hope that his client’s sentence would be suspended within a week.
