Imran Khan gets extension in protective bail in five cases till March 27 from LHC

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan gets an extension in protective bail in five cases till March 27 from the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday.

The former prime minister arrived at the LHC with tight security.

A heavy contingent of police was deployed at the Lahore High Court in order to avoid any untoward situation.

A two-member special bench, comprising Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Justice Anwaar Hussain heard the plea regarding an extension in the protective bail of Imran Khan in five cases filed in the federal capital.

Barrister Salman Safdar and Advocate Azhar Siddique represented the PTI chief in the case.

The verdict today was announced minutes after the PTI submitted an affidavit that a bail petition has been submitted in Islamabad.

Following the court’s order, Imran Khan’s counsel submitted the affidavit stating that his client’s bail pleas have been submitted in the Islamabad courts.

Earlier in the day, LHC Registrar’s Office had attached objections to the plea as the PTI chief had already obtained bail in the cases.

During today’s hearing, Imran Khan’s counsel told the court that the former premier was seeking protective bail in order to go to the federal capital where several political cases have been registered against him.

At this, Justice Sheikh said that no such precedence can be pointed out when protective bail is extended.

Imran Khan’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, PTI Chairman Imran 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,” he said, adding that he “ran from there” in order to save his life.

Imran Khan’s counsel told the court that they are only seeking a working day so that they can reach Islamabad.

However, the government’s lawyer raised an objection to this.

After hearing the arguments, the two-member bench directed the office to fix Khan’s petition, adjourning the hearing till then.