Thu, September 17, 2026
Islamabad (Web Desk): The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday deferred the hearing of multiple bail applications filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in connection with the May 9, 2023 unrest.
The petitions—eight in total—will now be taken up on August 12.
The adjournment came without the issuance of notices to any parties involved, despite a formal request by Imran’s legal representative.
Earlier in November 2024, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore had dismissed Imran’s bail petitions linked to the violent incidents that unfolded after his arrest, including the attack on the residence of the Lahore corps commander.
The decision was later upheld by the Lahore High Court (LHC) in a ruling dated June 24, 2025. Challenging that verdict, the PTI founder approached the apex court last week.
During today’s hearing, a two-judge panel comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui took up the petitions for hearing.
Representing Imran Khan was PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who appeared on behalf of senior lawyer Salman Safdar. Safdar, who originally filed the petitions, was out of the country and had requested that the court delay the hearing until his return.
Raja conveyed Safdar’s plea for an adjournment to next week and further urged the bench to issue notices to the concerned parties.
The court, however, declined both requests, opting instead to postpone proceedings until mid-August without any further procedural directions.
The bail petitions, filed through Safdar, argue that Imran Khan could not have played a role in orchestrating the May 9 disturbances as he was under the custody of the National Accountability Bureau at the time.
The plea dismisses the accusations against him as politically motivated, asserting that since his removal from office in 2022, he has been the target of relentless persecution.
Imran’s legal team criticized the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) rejection of bail, alleging that it was based on questionable evidence and testimony. They pointed to police statements that were not only delayed but also lacked credibility, describing them as engineered to build a false narrative.
In their written judgment, the LHC bench—comprised of Justices Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Tariq Mahmood Bajwa—stated that the prosecution had provided sufficient preliminary evidence linking Imran to the events of May 9.
Their ruling cited statements from two police officers who claimed to have infiltrated PTI strategy meetings, where, according to them, Imran instructed party leaders to target military sites in anticipation of his arrest.
These gatherings allegedly took place on May 4 in Chakri, Rawalpindi, and again between May 7 and 9 at his residence in Zaman Park, Lahore.
Following Imran’s detention on May 9 at the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), widespread unrest broke out across Pakistan, including attacks on military facilities.
The government responded with a sweeping crackdown on PTI and its leadership. While Imran remains entangled in various legal challenges stemming from that day’s violence, he has seen acquittals in other high-profile cases, such as the cipher and iddat cases.
The SC’s decision to delay the case has added another chapter to the ongoing legal battles of the former prime minister, whose political and legal struggles remain at the center of national attention.
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