Pakistan: Lahore court restores Imran Khan's bail in seven cases related to May 9 protests

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 23 : The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday restored the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan's bail in seven cases related to the protests held on May 9, Pakistan-based Geo News reported.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Aalia Neelum announced the verdict reserved on Imran Khan's plea challenging the cancellation of bail in seven cases related to the May 9 protests, Geo News reported. Furthermore, the high court ordered the trial court to announce the verdict on Khan's interim cases.
The court's decision comes after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) rejected the petitions seeking bail extensions for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder in seven cases, including the May 9 protests and the attack on Jinnah House, according to Geo News report. The trial court judge Ijaz Ahmad Butar gave the verdict on August 11, 2023, after hearing arguments from both sides.
Notably, protests erupted across Pakistan after Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023. The protests were held in remote and major cities as the PTI workers were angry after Imran Khan's arrest. Army installations, including the Corps Commander's house in Lahore, were also attacked during the protests by PTI workers.
Imran Khan and PTI's top leaders have been facing several cases ahead of the elections set to be held on February 8. PTI lost the case in court to get back its electoral symbol "bat" and the legality of its intra-party elections. As the embattled PTI faces uphill tasks, its major rivals, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have already started campaigns across the nation and distributed tickets for national and provincial constituencies.
On Monday, Imran Khan questioned the transparency of the elections set to be conducted on February 8 and added that the 'preferential treatment' meted out to a single political party had turned these polls into the 'mother of all selections', Dawn reported.
He asked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members to engage in electioneering with full force. Imran Khan made these remarks during his routine interaction with reporters after the hearing of the cypher case being held at Adiala Jail. However, his interaction was abruptly ended after the jail superintendent, Asad Warraich, asked Khan not to speak to reporters in the makeshift courtroom.
In response, Khan said that it was his right to speak to reporters. However, Warraich reminded him that journalists were only allowed to cover the case proceedings, not highlight his political statements. At this, Imran Khan said he would only speak about his trial. The jail superintendent asked him to get permission from the judge if he wanted to speak to media persons.
Eventually, DIG Prisons Rana Rauf reached the courtroom and asked journalists to leave the premises as the proceedings had already been concluded. The prison staff escorted the media persons out of the court premises while Khan was protesting the 'censorship,' according to Dawn report.
Khan also asked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to hold a protest next Sunday. Notably, Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, Farah Gogi, Malik Riaz and his son are facing a reference in the National Accountability Bureau since Malik Riaz sent money to purchase the property through money laundering.