Peshawar High Court grants transit bail to Imran Khan

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday granted transit bail to former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan till June 25 in different cases registered against him in connection with May 25 ‘Azadi March’, ARY News reported.

The PTI chief filed a plea in PHC through his counsel Advocate Babar Awan. Imran Khan also appeared before the court while the petition was heard by PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan.

The judge approved bail till June 25 and subsequently forwarded the orders to the additional sessions judge of Islamabad.

FIRs against Imran Khan

On May 26, a first information report (FIR) was registered at the Kohsar police station at the complaint of Sub-Inspector (SI) Asif Raza under Sections 109 (abetment), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public service), 188 (disobedience), 353 (assault on public servant), 427 (causing damage) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The second FIR was registered on the same day at 3:20 am on the complaint of SI Ghulam Sarwar.

On May 28, 11 more cases were registered against the PTI leadership, including Imran, and other party activists under different sections by the Loi Bher, Secretariat police, Aabapra police, Golra police, Bhara Kahu police, among others.

Meanwhile, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and former minister Hammad Azhar also applied for protective bails in the FIRs registered by the Punjab police.

Former federal minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also sought bail in six cases registered in different police stations. Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the other hand granted protective bail to PTI leader Umar Amin Gandapur till June 13 in an FIR registered in Mianwali.

Moreover, District and Sessions Judge Kamran Basharat Mufti granted interim bail to Sheikh Rashid against Rs10,000 surety bonds till June 13.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) today barred police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser in cases related to harming government properties during Azadi Long March.

Asad Qaiser approached IHC to seek protection against arrest after multiple FIRs were registered against him.