The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued notices to the Punjab government regarding former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s bail petitions in eight cases related to the May 9 incidents.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi along with Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, conducted the hearing on Tuesday. Imran Khan’s lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar appeared on his behalf, while Punjab’s Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi represented the state.
During the hearing, CJP Afridi raised questions over certain observations made by the Lahore High Court in its detailed judgment, which had led to the rejection of Imran Khan’s bail applications. He asked whether final conclusions can be drawn at the bail stage, emphasizing that the Supreme Court would not at this point comment on the correctness of those findings to avoid prejudicing either party’s case.
The Chief Justice instructed the lawyers to assist the court on legal issues and complete their preparations by the next hearing. He assured that the Supreme Court would avoid issuing any conclusions that could impact the case.
At one point, Salman Safdar requested permission to address the court from the rostrum, but CJP Afridi denied the request. Subsequently, the bench adjourned the hearing until August 19 and issued notices to the Punjab government.
In related developments, a two-member Supreme Court bench had earlier heard Imran Khan’s bail pleas on June 29 but adjourned the proceedings without issuing notices due to the absence of his counsel.
Imran Khan’s appeal argues that he was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at the time of the alleged violence on May 9, making it impossible for him to be involved. The fresh appeal contends that the Lahore High Court relied on “engineered and fabricated evidence,” including old, unreliable, and delayed statements from police officers.
The Lahore High Court’s two-judge bench, comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa, had observed in its detailed verdict that the prosecution possessed evidence implicating Imran Khan in the May 9 violence, which allegedly started after his arrest.
The court quoted statements from two police officers and prosecution witnesses who claimed to have secretly attended PTI meetings where Imran Khan allegedly instructed other leaders to attack military installations if he was arrested by the Islamabad High Court. These meetings reportedly took place on May 4 in Chakri, Rawalpindi, and between May 7 and 9 at Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park, Lahore.
