The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday extended the bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in nine separate cases and directed him to approach relevant trial courts for further relief.
A two-member bench—comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb—had earlier reserved its verdict on a plea seeking extension of bail. During proceedings—which were attended by Khan after the court threatened to cancel his bails a day earlier—Khan’s lawyer argued that 140 cases had been registered against the PTI chief and he had secured bail in all cases he was aware of.
During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that medical reports obtained from private hospitals held no legal value and directed the ousted prime minister to approach a government hospital for any future ailments. He also ordered the PTI to provide relevant material on a plea seeking permission for Khan to appear in cases via video-link. The two judges also briefly left the courtroom after an altercation between the Islamabad advocate general and PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, reportedly because the latter kept intervening during proceedings. At one point, Fawad even argued against heightened security at the IHC but was told by the CJ that it was to ensure Khan’s safety, as the PTI kept claiming he faced security threats.
Of the cases Khan was granted bail in, seven are pending before trial courts, while two relate to his alleged threatening of officers of the armed forces and the attempted murder of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha. The IHC CJ ordered the fixation of Khan’s plea for staying action on cases against him for May 9.
Speaking with media after the hearing, Khan defended recent meetings between his party and U.S. officials—after he spent months accusing Washington of instigating a “regime change” in Pakistan—claiming that he desires “good relations with everybody.” The PTI chief also continued his now-routine criticism of former Army chief Gen. (retd.) Qamar Javed Bajwa, claiming he had repeatedly stated in briefings that the military lacked the capacity to take action against hostile states. “During several briefings, Bajwa said that there is no oil in tanks,” he said. “I was surprised that what kind of an Army chief is he who is talking about such things,” he added. Last week, the military’s media wing had issued a statement rebutting Khan’s claims of the military lacking the capacity to tackle militancy and foreign states.
The PTI chief, during his informal chat, also condemned Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s ongoing trip to India, claiming it suggested the ruling alliance “did not care” about Kashmir. He also reiterated his claims of the case against Justice Qazi Faiz Isa being initiate by “people in high positions.”
Prior to traveling to Islamabad, Khan issued a short video statement maintaining that he was going to the IHC out of respect for the judiciary despite being directed bed rest by doctors over his injured leg. He also reiterated a call for the public to stage protests showing solidarity with Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial.