By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) on Thursday granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan in eight cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots, when supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party staged violent protests across the country, vandalising military installations, state-owned buildings and the Lahore corps commander’s residence.
The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and comprising Justices Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Hasan Azhar Rizvi, resumed hearing the petitions after a Lahore anti-terrorism court had denied bail in November 2024, a decision upheld by the Lahore High Court on June 24. Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023, challenged that dismissal before the apex court days later.
Barrister Salman Safdar appeared for the PTI founder, while Punjab Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi represented the state. Both sides concluded their arguments before the chief justice announced the decision, approving the eight bail applications.
The protests broke out on May 9, 2023, following Khan’s brief arrest by the anti-graft National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a land bribery case known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. The government says PTI supporters attacked important state buildings, damaged vehicles and ransacked military facilities during the riots. Nearly 2,000 people were arrested and at least eight killed, leading authorities to call out paramilitary rangers to restore order.
Thousands of protesters, including party leaders, were detained in the aftermath. Khan is charged with inciting the violence, among other allegations related to the riots, all of which he denies.
PTI hailed the ruling, announcing in a text message to media. “Supreme Court has granted bail to Imran Khan for May 9th cases. Now bail is needed in just one more case (Al-Qadir case) for Mr Khan to come out of jail.” The party posted on X using the hashtag “Victory For Imran Khan”.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, however, played down the development. “It is sad to see the party celebrating bail when Imran was already convicted,” the minister said, adding that bail was given to murderers, robbers and every criminal, and that it did not mean acquittal with the case trial still pending.
“The trial process is underway. The May 9 case is the entire nation’s case … so much celebration on getting bail is beyond understanding. Does receiving bail mean burial or acquittal? The answer is no.”
Khan remains entangled in multiple other cases. Imprisoned since August 2023 after a three-year sentence for illegally selling state gifts while prime minister – a conviction that barred him from contesting the 2024 general elections – he is serving time at Adiala Jail in the £190 million graft case and faces pending trials related to the May 9 riots.
In January, Khan was handed 14 years’ imprisonment and his wife Bushra Bibi seven years in the Al-Qadir Trust case, which alleges the couple received land from a real estate developer during his 2018-2022 premiership in exchange for illegal favours. Both pleaded not guilty.
The Al-Qadir Trust is a non-government welfare body set up by the couple when Khan was in office. Prosecutors say it was a front for Khan to illegally receive 60 acres (24 hectares) near Islamabad and another large plot close to his hilltop mansion in the capital.
Khan and PTI maintain the land was not for personal gain but for a spiritual and educational institution the former prime minister had established. Khan says all cases against him are politically motivated.
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