The Islamabad High Court (IHC) made a significant decision today by accepting the plea of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan against the cancellation of bail in nine cases against him. These cases encompassed a range of charges, including involvement in the May 9 riots, protests in Islamabad, the Toshakhana case, violation of Section 144, and an attempted murder case.
A division bench, headed by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and comprising Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, conducted the hearing. The lower courts had previously revoked Imran Khan’s bail primarily due to his non-appearance.
In a remarkable turn of events, the IHC reinstated Imran Khan’s bail and nullified the decisions of the different trial courts that had canceled it. The division bench also instructed the trial courts to reconsider the matter and conduct proceedings afresh.
Imran Khan, who was ousted from the Prime Minister’s Office in April 2022 through a vote of no-confidence, had appealed to the IHC to ensure that the cases were heard on their merits and to prevent his arrest in these cases until a final verdict is reached.
In a separate development, the IHC reserved its verdict on the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) plea to hold in-camera proceedings for Imran’s bail application in the cipher case. The FIA had cited diplomatic concerns as the reason for this request, prompting questions from the defense counsel about the nature of information that the federal body wished to keep confidential in a case related to the release of sensitive documents.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, urged IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq to expedite the next hearing date, preferably within a day or two, highlighting the urgency of the matter.
The IHC’s decision to reinstate Imran Khan’s bail in these nine cases marks a significant legal development in the ongoing legal battles surrounding the former Prime Minister.
