LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Friday extended the interim pre-arrest bail of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in three cases of the May 9 riots and directed him to join the police investigation without fail.

Khan appeared before the court on expiry of the previous bail along with his counsel, Intazar Hussain Panjutha.

At the outset of the hearing, Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar expressed his displeasure over the PTI chairman for not joining the police investigation.

Khan said he had been appearing before the courts on a daily basis, therefore, could not join the investigation.

The judge said the law has to be implemented at any cost.

Khan said he was ready to join the investigation if the JIT visited him at Zaman Park residence. The judge observed that it was a matter between the police and the petitioner.

Punjab government’s lawyer Khwaja Waseem said the PTI chief could appear before the JIT after the court proceedings at 4pm. However, Khan said an IMF delegation was scheduled to visit him at 4pm.

The judge said it would be appropriate for the petitioner to appear before the JIT and join investigation before July 14.

The judge also extended the pre-arrest bail of Imran Khan till July 21 in the cases of attack on Jinnah House, Askari Tower, Shadman police station, PML-N party office and torching of a container at Kalma Chowk.

Separately, Judge Buttar extended interim pre-arrest bail of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and former secretary general Asad Umar in multiple cases relating to the May 9 riots.

Both leaders appeared before the court on expiry of their pre-arrest bail in the cases of attack on Jinnah House, Askari Tower and Shadman police station.

The judge extended the bail of Qureshi and Omar till July 21.

objection overruled: Justice Amjad Rafiq of the LHC on Friday overruled a registrar office’s objection to a petition of Imran Khan against consolidation of all cases of May 9 riots against him.

The judge directed the registrar office to fix the hearing of the petition before an appropriate bench on July 14.

Earlier, Advocate Sardar Latif Khosa appeared on behalf of the PTI chairman and argued that the police were implicating his client in the May 9 protests cases. He asked the court to declare that the assumption of jurisdiction or taking of cognizance of any alleged offence against the petitioner in all FIRs was illegal, unlawful and without lawful authority.

The counsel said the PTI chief could not be compelled to face more than one prosecution with regard to the alleged role or offence and as such all the cases being pursued against him except one were without lawful authority.

The counsel further asked the court to suspend all proceedings in Punjab against the petitioner’s alleged role and declare that only one FIR to be designated by the police.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2023