NextFin news, Pakistan's Supreme Court granted bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday in eight cases linked to the violent riots that erupted on May 9, 2023, following his arrest in Islamabad. The ruling was delivered by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi in the capital city.
The cases concern widespread unrest and vandalism in various military cantonments across Pakistan. Imran Khan's lawyer, Salman Safdar, informed the court that indictments and charge sheets had not yet been filed in any of the eight cases. Chief Justice Afridi responded that this was sufficient grounds to grant bail.
The unrest on May 9, 2023, involved violent incidents in several cities after Khan's detention, leading to hundreds of cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers, including top party officials. Trials of 102 accused have concluded in military courts with verdicts announced.
Earlier, on June 24, the Lahore High Court had dismissed Khan's bail petitions in these cases, prompting him to appeal to the Supreme Court. The recent Supreme Court decision temporarily eases the legal pressures on Khan, who has spent over two years in custody amid multiple prosecutions.
Despite the bail, Khan remains in jail pending resolution of one remaining case. His legal team maintains that the charges are politically motivated and that Khan was not involved in directing the violence. The PTI leadership has also denied orchestrating the riots, dismissing terrorism-related allegations as unfounded.
The Supreme Court's ruling comes amid ongoing political and judicial battles in Pakistan, with several senior PTI leaders recently convicted and disqualified from office on related charges. The decision was reported by multiple news outlets including MSN, The Jerusalem Post, and India.com on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
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