Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9 violence.
Khan’s supporters resorted to vandalism and violence on May 9, 2023, after he was detained by law enforcement authorities in Islamabad.
Several cases were launched against Khan and leaders of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for their alleged role in the riots.
A three-member bench of the apex court, led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, granted Khan bail after hearing the arguments by his lawyer Salman Safdar, and Punjab Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi, who represented the state.
The 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician in a social media post after the verdict said the end of this night of oppression in his country is near.
“My message to the entire nation, to my workers and to the party leadership is that your captain is still standing tall with his head held high. Have no fear," Khan said.
"We must not, under any circumstances, bow our heads down before tyranny and oppression. Remember -- no matter how long and dark the night may be, dawn is certain to break. The end of this night of oppression is near. God willing, the sun of justice and freedom will soon rise," he said.
Khan’s PTI hailed the ruling, using the hashtag “Victory For Imran Khan” in its post on X, while its international spokesman Zulfiqar Bukhari said the party supremo now needed bail in just one case.
“Supreme Court has granted bail to Imran Khan for May 9th cases, now bail is needed for just one more case (Al Qadir case) for Mr Khan to come out of jail,” he said.
Bukhari said Khan would not be released despite the latest relief due to his conviction in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Khan had filed a petition for bail in a Lahore anti-terrorism court in the cases related to the May 9 riots, including an attack on the house of the Lahore corps commander, but it was rejected in November 2024.
He challenged it in the Lahore High Court, but it also rejected the plea on June 24 this year. Following this, Khan challenged the dismissal of the bail plea before the top court.
The former premier has been facing multiple other cases filed against him after his removal from office in April 2022.
He has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence at Rawalpindi's high-security Adiala Jail in the 190 million pounds Al-Qadir graft case.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
