Pakistan: Lahore Court to hear Imran Khan's plea against physical remand over involvement in May 9 violence

Imran Khan. File pic

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has fixed July 22 for hearing former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's petitions challenging his 10-day physical remand granted over his alleged involvement in May 9 violence in 2023, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Justice Anwarul Haq will preside over the hearing scheduled for Monday. The petitioner has said that the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore did not properly examine the record while granting physical remand.

The lawyer further said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan was already in prison and that police had previously probed him. The petitions said that the law was not considered while granting physical remand. The petitioner urged the Lahore High Court to declare the physical remand order null and void.

The development comes after the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) sent Imran Khan on a 10-day physical remand in 12 cases related to the May 9 riots. During the hearing, Imran Khan was produced through a video link, as the prosecutor mentioned security reasons for not presenting him before court in person.

The judge, Khalid Arshad, asked, "Why can't you produce the accused in person before the court?" The prosecutor replied that the PTI founder cannot be presented in court for security reasons.

The prosecutor said that they wanted to probe Imran Khan regarding the footage they found of the incidents that happened on May 9. The prosecutor said that the PTI founder will not be taken away from the Adiala Jail and will be investigated there.

The defence lawyer opposed the plea, stating that physical remand cannot be granted if an accused is presented through a video link.

On May 9 last year, violent clashes broke out across Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested. The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their chairman's arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order, ARY News reported.

Moreover, army installations, including the Corps Commander's house in Lahore, had come under attack during the protests by PTI workers. Notably, the PTI founder was named as the main accused in all the May 9 riots cases.

Imran Khan (71), who served as Pakistan's Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail since August 2023 on multiple charges, including the Toshakhana case, the cypher case and the unlawful marriage case.

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