In a reduction to embattled Imran Khan, a prime Pakistani court docket right here granted protecting bail to the previous prime minister on Friday in eight terrorism circumstances and a civil case after he appeared earlier than the court docket, hours after one other court docket suspended non-bailable arrest warrants in opposition to him until March 18 in a corruption case.
Khan, the 70-year-old chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) celebration, travelled to the Lahore Excessive Courtroom (LHC) in a bulletproof automobile to hunt protecting bail in 9 circumstances.
A two-member bench of the LHC, comprising Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Justice Farooq Haider performed the listening to on bail pleas filed in opposition to the circumstances which can be lodged underneath terrorism sections, based on Geo TV.
For the 5 circumstances in Islamabad, the court docket granted bail to the PTI chief until March 24 and for the three circumstances in Lahore, Khan acquired bail until March 27, the report stated.
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In the meantime, Justice Saleem additionally heard the bail pleas that Khan filed in opposition to the civil case registered in opposition to him, it stated.
Khan advised Justice Saleem that safety personnel launched the operation to arrest him as if he was a terrorist in hiding.
“Such an enormous drive was despatched to arrest me like a terrorist was hiding. There isn’t a instance in Pakistan’s historical past that the police unleashed at their very own folks to arrest a political chief,” Khan advised the court docket.
Forward of the LHC determination, a tense calm prevailed upon Lahore’s upscale Zaman Park close to Khan’s residence, which was the scene of pitched battles for 2 days between his defiant supporters and Punjab Police.
The clashes finally subsided after the courts intervened on Wednesday.
Earlier, the Islamabad Excessive Courtroom suspended non-bailable arrest warrants issued in opposition to Khan until March 18, offering him with one other probability to seem earlier than the district court docket listening to the Toshakhana case.
Khan has been within the crosshairs for purchasing presents, together with an costly Graff wristwatch he had acquired because the premier at a reduced value from the state depository known as Toshakhana, and promoting them for revenue.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a division underneath the executive management of the Cupboard Division and shops valuable presents given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officers by heads of different governments and states and international dignitaries.
Khan was disqualified by the Election Fee of Pakistan in October final yr for not sharing particulars of the gross sales.
The election physique later filed a criticism with the district court docket to punish him, underneath prison legal guidelines, for promoting the presents he had acquired as prime minister of the nation.
Khan has vehemently denied these expenses.
In response to Khan, he was dealing with over 80 completely different circumstances in numerous courts throughout Pakistan.
Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was ousted from energy in April final yr after shedding a no-confidence vote, which he alleged was a part of a US-led conspiracy focusing on him due to his unbiased international coverage selections on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
Since his ouster, Khan has been asking for early elections to take away what he termed an “imported authorities” led by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif has maintained that elections shall be held later this yr as soon as the parliament completes its five-year tenure.