LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday marked the attendance of former prime minister Imran Khan through a video link and extended his interim pre-arrest bail in two cases of violence and attacks on police teams outside Zaman Park.

Khan’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar told the court that the PTI chairman could not appear due to law and order situation. He said Khan already survived two attempts on his life.

He requested the court to mark the attendance of Khan through video link.

The counsel assured the court that his client would appear at the next hearing.

A deputy district prosecutor opposed the absence of the former prime minister and argued that the suspect was required to personally appear before the court for pre-arrest bail.

Plea for barring police from arrest referred to LHC larger bench

Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar allowed the application of Khan for one-time attendance through video link and extended his bail till May 19.

The judge turned down the request of Barrister Safdar to extend the bail till May 22.

Separately, the judge dismissed the pre-arrest bail of six PTI leaders in the Zaman Park violence and Zile Shah’s murder cases as they failed to appear before the court.

They include Fawad Chaudhry, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, Hammad Azhar, Farrukh Habib, Senator Ijaz Chaudhry and Omar Ayub Khan.

Meanwhile, Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday referred to a larger bench a petition of former prime minister Imran Khan seeking a restraining order against police to arrest him in criminal cases of the May 9 riots.

At the outset of the hearing, the judge asked Barrister Salman Safdar about the non-appearance of his client (Imran Khan).

The counsel said the petitioner’s presence was not necessary as it was not a matter of protective or pre-arrest bail. He said the petitioner wanted a relief in continuation of the orders passed by the Supreme Court and the Islamabad High Court.

However, he said, the petitioner would appear if required by the court.

He stated that the PTI chairman had no role in the law and order situation in the country after his illegal arrest by the NAB. He said police registered a number of criminal cases against him and there was an apprehension that he may again be arrested.

He said the court should summon the details of all undisclosed cases registered against the petitioner as most of the FIRs were not in the knowledge of the petitioner, which was illegal and mala fide on the part of the government and the police.

An additional advocate general opposed the petition and argued that the petitioner was asking for a relief that could not be possible under the law. He said in fact the petitioner sought a protective bail and did not personally appear before the court.

The law officer said relief granted to the petitioner by the apex court was also unprecedented.

Khan’s counsel argued that the petitioner was in the illegal custody of the NAB and he had no knowledge of the protests that erupted in the country against his arrest.

He asked the court to summon a detailed report from the police about the registration of all disclosed and undisclosed cases and restrained them from arresting the petitioner till submission of report.

The counsel also proposed the judge to refer the petition to a larger bench already seized with other petitions of the PTI leaders.

Justice Shahid reserved his verdict on the petition, which he announced later and referred the petition to the larger bench for further proceedings.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2023