ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has granted bail to former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9 incidents.
The decision was made by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Justice Yahya Afridi, with Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi replacing Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb on the bench prior to the hearing.
During the proceedings, Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi informed the court that he could not appear due to health reasons, to which the Chief Justice responded, “No problem.”
Chief Justice Afridi posed two key questions to both the prosecution and Imran Khan’s lawyer: whether a final verdict can be issued at the bail stage, and whether the principle of consistency applies, given that the Supreme Court has previously granted bail in conspiracy cases.
Naqvi emphasized that observations made by the Supreme Court during bail hearings are always interim in nature and do not influence the trial. He cited previous guidelines and decisions, including the Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry case, to support his argument.
The Chief Justice noted that past conspiracy cases should be examined and asked the prosecution to provide examples where bail was denied, highlighting that in recent instances, bail was generally granted. He stressed that the merits of the case are to be determined by the trial court, not at the bail stage.
Naqvi also referenced Supreme Court precedents from 1996, 1998, 2014, and 2022, underlining that observations made during bail hearings are temporary and do not affect the trial outcome.
The Supreme Court’s ruling allows Imran Khan to remain out on bail while the trial court continues to examine evidence in the May 9 cases.
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