The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday rejected the bail pleas of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan in eight cases linked to the May 9, 2023, riots, prompting his party to allege bias and victimization.
A two-member bench led by Justice Shahbaz Ali Rizvi announced its reserved verdict. During proceedings, Khan’s legal counsel had argued the former prime minister was implicated in the cases without credible evidence, as he was already in custody at the time of the riots and had denied any involvement. The lawyers had further contended the charges were politically motivated and based on vague allegations of abetment, adding the cases were part of a broader campaign to discredit Khan and his party.
By contrast, the prosecution had argued Khan incited his supporters to target military facilities. They cited forensic evidence, including audio recordings, noting Khan had refused to verify these via voice matching.
Describing the ruling as a “blatant miscarriage of justice,” PTI Punjab issued a statement expressing deep disappointment and accusing the judiciary of operating under political influence. “The courts have failed to uphold the principles of justice,” it said and vowed to continue its legal fight for Khan’s freedom. It also announced it would launch a peaceful protest movement seeking the restoration of democracy and the release of all political prisoners.
The May 9, 2023 riots erupted after Khan was arrested in a graft case. Apart from targeting various civilian installations, the rioters attacked military installations nationwide, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s House. After several days of unrest, the Supreme Court allowed Khan to go free.
The former prime minister was then arrested in August 2023 and has remained incarcerated since then on various convictions and ongoing cases.