Lahore (Web Desk): The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday extended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former premier Imran Khan's protective bail in five cases registered against him in Islamabad till March 27.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Justice Anwaar Hussain announced the ruling after the PTI's counsel Salman Safdar submitted affidavits that their bail petitions are pending at a court in the federal capital.
The former premier had been granted protective bail in the five cases on March 17 when he secured protective bail in a total of nine.
At the outset of the hearing, Imran’s lawyer said that his client “stood outside the Islamabad judicial complex for 40 minutes to get bail in these cases”.
Safdar told the court that Imran had not “misused the bail” and that two new cases had been filed against him in Islamabad. In the present circumstances, he cannot appear before the judicial complex in Islamabad, Imran's lawyer added.
“Imran Khan is a former prime minister and has security threats,” the lawyer said, lamenting that the PTI chief had “no security”. “We have requested an extension in the bail which was already granted,” he said.
At this, Justice Sheikh said that no such precedence can be pointed out when protective bail is extended.
PTI chief's lawyer argued that the legal team was also struggling to understand how to secure bail as so many cases have been registered against the deposed prime minister.
Justice Sheikh said that it would have been better if this petition would have been registered in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Arguing for himself, Khan said that the last time when he went to Islamabad, all roads were blocked, mentioning that even today he came in secretly.
“In Islamabad, police used tear gas and baton-charged the people due to which we had to return,” the former premier said, claiming that he "ran from there" in order to save his life.
Earlier on March 21, The LHC Imran Khan protective bail in two terrorism cases filed against him in Islamabad following clashes at the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) on March 18.
A two-judge LHC bench comprising Justice Shehbaz Rizvi and Justice Farooq Haider granted the PTI chief protective bail in the terrorism cases till March 27.
