Islamabad: Former prime minister Imran was granted pre-arrest bail for three weeks by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday.
The protective bail was granted in at least 14 cases registered against him by the government over his protest march in the last week of May. Khan also submitted surety bonds worth Rs50,000.
The PHC judge granted the bail till June 25 and forwarded the orders to the additional sessions judge of Islamabad where Khan was asked to appear before June 25.
Khan’s lawyer, Babar Awan, had filed the petition contending that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party’s march on May 25 was a peaceful demonstration and claimed that the “government used unreasonable and unlawful tactics along with state machinery against the peaceful empty-handed protesters throughout the city.” The party also said that the Supreme Court had also taken notice of the “excessive use of force” by the government, including road blockades, tear gas shelling, baton beating and firing.
PTI chairman Imran Khan and other key party leaders were booked for arson and vandalism in Islamabad during the protest rally called ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’ (freedom march) on May 25. Clashes between PTI supporters and police and heavy tear gas shelling by police were witnessed in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, and other regions of the country during the protest rally.
PTI leaders Sheikh Rashid, Hammad Azhar and Asad Qaiser were also granted bails in cases registered against them in connection with May 25 long march. The party leaders alleged that they are facing political victimisation by the government.
