The anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi has granted bail to former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in 12 cases linked to the May 9 riots, while PTI stalwart and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was granted bail in 13 cases.
Imran Khan was also granted bail in the GHQ and Army Museum attack cases, with the court ordering a surety bond of Rs0.1 million in all 12 cases. The bail applications were heard by ATC Judge Malik Ejaz Asif, who stated that there was no justification to keep the PTI founder under arrest, especially since all accused in the May 9 cases were already on bail.
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Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi were indicted in the cases on February 6. During the court proceedings, Imran Khan informed the judge that he was illegally arrested on May 9 from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The cases against Imran Khan stemmed from multiple incidents of violence that occurred on May 9 following his arrest in a corruption case. These cases, registered in Rawalpindi, included the attack on the gate of General Headquarters (GHQ), rioting in the office of a sensitive institution, and others. Imran Khan denied the allegations mentioned in the first information reports (FIRs) of the cases.
Previously, after his release from Adiala jail, Shah Mehmood Qureshi was taken into custody by Punjab police from prison in connection with a case related to the attack on the GHQ.
In July of the previous year, a high-level joint investigation team (JIT) probing incidents related to the May 9 violence had decided to nominate Imran Khan in two terrorism cases, including an attack on the GHQ. Additional sections were added to the cases, charging the PTI chief with plotting and incitement to violence.
