Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned in connection with the Toshakhana corruption case, suffered yet another setback as an anti-terrorism court denied him a pre-arrest bail in seven terrorism cases, including an attack on a senior military officer's house in the May 9 violence.
"Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) Lahore Judge Ejaz Ahmad Buttar cancelled the pre-arrest bail of Imran Khan in seven terrorism cases including an attack on the Corps Commander House in Lahore on his non-appearance," said a court official to PTI.
Notably, Khan was convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment for 'corrupt practices' in the Toshakhana case. He is currently lodged in Attock Jail and is unable to appear in any court hearing.
According to the court official, Khan's lawyer Salman Safdar had asked for an exemption to be granted to the cricketer-turned-politician from personal appearance as he is serving his three-year jail sentence. However, the judge ruled that he could not extend Khan's bail till he appears in court.
About the violence in Pakistan on May 9
On May 9, the supporters of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party vandalised over 20 military installations and government buildings, including the Lahore Corps Commander House, Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was also attacked by the mob for the first time.
The violent protests came in wake of Khan's arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on corruption charges. He was later released on bail. Police arrested over 10,000 workers of PTI and more than 100 are being attempted tried under the Army Act.
Khan denied engineering or prompting the attacks expressing that it was a well-planned conspiracy to expel its party from upcoming polls.
The former premier is facing more than 140 cases across the country and faces charges like terrorism, violence, blasphemy, corruption and murder since he was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.
Aftermath of the Toshakhana conviction
The Toshakhana case relates to the charges that the former PM "intentionally hid" subtleties of the gifts he held from the Toshaskhana — a storehouse where presents gave to government authorities from unfamiliar authorities are kept — during his tenure as the prime minister, and proceeds from their revealed deals.
Pakistan's top electoral watchdog disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan for five years after his conviction and arrest in the Toshakhana case. In a notification, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that the PTI chairman was disqualified after being found guilty of corrupt practices and his subsequent sentencing for three years, Geo News reported.
On Thursday, Khan met his wife Bushra Bibi at the Attock jail for the first time since his arrest last week, amid allegations hat he was kept in appalling 'C-class' conditions and was denied legal access.
In a video message on X, formerly called Twitter, Khan's lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha said that the meeting between Khan and his wife last about an hour. According to Bushra, the PTI chief was in good health but kept in C-class conditions.
The Attock prison in eastern Punjab province, where Khan is imprisoned, has a notorious reputation for its harsh conditions and its inmates include convicted militants. The ousted PM's lawyers said the 70-year-old leader living in "distress" and added he does not wish to remain in prison.
ALSO READ | Pakistan: Imprisoned ex-PM Imran Khan meets wife Bushra Bibi in Attock jail for first time since arrest
