Pakistan: Lahore HC Grants Imran Khan’s Protective Bail Plea In Protests Case

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has been granted protective bail by the Lahore High Court for one case and is awaiting a hearing in another, reported Pakistani media outlet, Dawn.

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh had earlier instructed Imran to appear in court for his protective bail petition in a case relating to protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Police personnel were deployed at the main gate of the court to ensure security, reported Dawn.

Imran has been recovering in his Lahore residence since being wounded in an assassination attempt during a pit stop in Wazirabad. His legal team arrived at the court to review the security arrangements.

Imran had previously filed a plea seeking protective bail for a case registered at Islamabad’s Sangjani police station through Advocate Azhar Siddique.

In Monday’s petition, Imran requested 15-day protective bail so that he could approach the relevant court for pre-arrest bail. The petition was fixed for hearing before a two-judge bench led by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, but when the hearing began, Imran was not present in the courtroom. Siddique argued that his client was present on the premises but could not be presented in court due to the current situation.

The court ordered the security superintendent to immediately present Imran in the courtroom. When the hearing resumed, Imran spoke to the court, explaining that his doctors had advised him to rest for two weeks, but that he fully respected the court.

The court granted him protective bail until March 3, and directed him to approach the relevant court by then. Imran has yet to respond to the LHC’s decision.