Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court Tuesday adjourned until August 12 the hearing of bail appeals filed by former prime minister Imran Khan in connection with the May 9 violence cases.
Khan moved to the apex court after the Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed his bail applications last month.
Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, is booked in several cases in Lahore in connection with the May 9, 2023, violence, including for allegedly inciting his supporters to attack government and military buildings, which erupted after his arrest by paramilitary Rangers from the Islamabad High Court premises.
A two-judge SC bench comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui postponed the hearing on the request of the defence counsel.
Barrister Salman Akram Raja, who is also Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, appeared on Khan’s behalf. He informed the court that the lead counsel, Salman Safdar, was abroad and hence he sought an adjournment.
Raja also requested that notices be issued to the concerned parties and that the matter be listed for hearing next week.
The court, however, adjourned proceedings until the second week of August.
The LHC had earlier rejected Khan’s bail, citing his alleged role in planning attacks on military installations in anticipation of his arrest May 9.
Khan, 72, who was ousted from office in April 2022, has been in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, since August 2023 after being convicted in a corruption case. He faces multiple legal cases, most of them filed after his removal from power.
PTI
