Islamabad, August 21, 2025: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday approved bail for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan in eight cases linked to the May 9 riots.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and comprising Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Muhammad Shafi, announced the verdict on Khan’s appeals against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) earlier rejection of his bail petitions. The LHC had, in June, dismissed multiple bail pleas filed by Khan in cases pertaining to violent protests, including the attack on Jinnah House in Lahore.
The PTI founder, who has been incarcerated for over two years, argued before the apex court that he could not have participated in the riots as he was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at the time. His counsel further contended that the first information reports (FIRs) lacked credible evidence and contained contradictions, pointing to delays and alleged mala fide intent in the police investigation.
During the hearing, prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi claimed that three witnesses, as well as photogrammetric and voice-matching evidence, linked Khan to the violence. He also cited WhatsApp messages as part of the record, but acknowledged that Khan had not cooperated with the testing procedures. Chief Justice Afridi cautioned the prosecutor against seeking findings from the Supreme Court, directing him instead to present evidence before the trial court.
Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar argued that his client had only been named in three FIRs, while no direct involvement was established in the remaining five cases. He added that challans had yet to be submitted against Khan in the said cases.
Announcing the verbal verdict, CJP Afridi accepted Khan’s bail petitions, noting that any observation on the merits of the case could prejudice trial court proceedings.
The May 9, 2023 riots broke out after Khan’s dramatic arrest from the Islamabad High Court premises in a graft case. The protests led to attacks on civil and military installations, including the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
While several PTI leaders and supporters have since been granted bail, many remain in custody. Khan, ousted from office in April 2022 through a no-confidence motion, has faced dozens of cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, and has remained behind bars since August 2023.
