ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court was informed on Tuesday that 29 criminal cases had been registered against former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in the federal capital.

The state counsel told IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq that PTI chief was nominated in 28 first information reports (FIRs) by the capital police while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also booked him in one case.

Justice Farooq was hearing a petition seeking details of the cases registered against the PTI chief in Islamabad’s police stations.

According to report submitted to the court, out of 28 FIRs, one has been quashed, investigation is in process in seven cases and trial is under progress in 20 cases. It said the FIA has registered a case against Mr Khan under Foreign Exchange Act and this matter is pending before the Special Court on Offences in Banks.

According to the report, police registered 15 cases against the former premier on a single day, on May 26 last year. An FIR was registered against him on May 25 in connection with violence during the PTI’s long march. The report said police registered 26 cases against Mr Khan over the past two years.

Two cases had already been registered against the PTI chief in 2014 in connection with his party’s sit-in that year.

PTI’s counsel Faisal Fareed informed that court that police had asked Imran Khan to join investigation in all these cases, but police officials never picked up the phone whenever “we wanted to get some information about the pending cases”.

Justice Farooq disposed of the petition with a directive for the inspector general and the federal government to look into the matter.

In a related development, Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir of the IHC issued a notice to the police on identical petitions filed by Senator Azam Swati and Ali Amin Gandapur seeking details of the cases registered against them across the federal capital.

The court also sought a report from the police on March 31.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2023