LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) incarcerated founding chairman Imran Khan has filed a fresh application for early hearing of his post-arrest bail petitions in eight cases pertaining to May 9 riots, including the Jinnah House attack.

Filed through Barrister Salman Safdar, the application highlights that a two-member bench was scheduled for an early hearing of the pleas on March 24.

However, due to the unavailability of the bench, the hearing could not take place and the cause list was canceled.

The fresh plea asks the court to fix an early hearing for the bail petitions in the eight cases related to the May 9 riots.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) had on Nov 27, 2024 denied bail to the former prime minister in these eight cases.

The petitions mainly argue that the prosecution failed to establish the petitioner`s association with the unfortunate occurrences narrated in the FIRs.

They say the petitioner has been implicated in the May 9 cases as a result of a well-orchestrated plan merely to harass and humiliate him for political reasons, even though admittedly he was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The sole allegation against the petitioner in the cases is of ‘abetment’, which has been supplemented by the prosecution most vaguely, the pleas add.

They argue that the trial judge overlooked the fact that frivolous and baseless allegations related to the May 9 events have already been rejected due to inconsistencies in the story of the investigating agency.

The petitions ask the LHC to set aside the trial court`s decision and grant bail to the former prime minister in the eight FIRs.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2025