Pakistan’s top court grants Imran Khan bail in eight May 9 cases

Pakistan’s top court on Thursday approved eight bail petitions of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan in cases related to May 9, 2023.

According to Khan’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, he now remains incarcerated only in the £190 million case.

Among the most significant cases in which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder has been granted bail is the charge of hatching a conspiracy to carry out attacks in the event of his arrest, as well as the subsequent May 9, 2023, Jinnah House Lahore attack.

The bail petitions were initially rejected by a trial court in Lahore on Nov. 27, 2024. Later, on June 24, 2025, the Lahore High Court also upheld the trial court’s order.

The petitions were heard today by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, and including Justice Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Hassan Rizvi.

Special Public Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi, who was unable to appear before the court a day earlier due to illness, appeared today.

There are 38 FIRs in Punjab related to the May 9 cases. Responding to the judge’s query regarding evidence, Naqvi said the prosecution had three witnesses who recorded their statements prior to the incidents, claiming a conspiracy was planned in the event of Imran Khan’s arrest.

He further stated that Khan has already been convicted in two cases and that the prosecution also has electronic media statements of Khan as evidence.

When Barrister Safdar began his arguments, CJP Afridi asked him to assist the court on whether the “rule of consistency” should be followed. The chief justice referred to the bail granted by the Supreme Court on May 2, 2025, to Ejaz Chaudhry and Hafiz Farhat Abbas in the May 9 conspiracy case.

Safdar argued that Khan was named in only three FIRs out of the eight petitions and not nominated in five. He said he would focus only on the FIR related to the Jinnah House attack.

He told the court that Khan had already been granted pre-arrest bail in May 9 cases by an Islamabad court. He also said their case was stronger than Chaudhry’s because Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023, and released two days later by order of the Supreme Court.

Continuing his arguments, Safdar pointed out that two years had passed without a challan being submitted in the trial courts. At this stage, CJP Afridi remarked, “I think this is sufficient,” before granting Khan’s bail petitions and ordering Punjab police not to arrest him in these cases.

Speaking to Nukta after the hearing, Barrister Safdar said, “It’s a big relief which was overdue for a long time, and we were making efforts for it. This relief should’ve been granted to us by the Lahore High Court. The high court couldn't have dismissed these bails. Today, the Supreme Court seemed unhappy with the mode and manner in which the LHC order was written.”

He added that Khan was arrested in only two cases: the May 9 cases and the £190 million case.

“Now, only the £190 million case is pending at the Islamabad High Court, and we can get bail in 15 minutes in that case as well,” he claimed.

The May 9 riots

Protesters stormed and vandalized military installations, including Jinnah House, prompting the police to register charges ranging from terrorism to mutiny, sedition, and rioting after protests broke out following Khan’s brief detention in a corruption probe.

Authorities described the unrest as an assault on state institutions.

Khan has denied orchestrating the violence, calling the charges politically motivated. His supporters have also rejected the accusations, accusing the government and military of targeting his party in a sweeping crackdown.

Police investigations earlier cleared Khan’s sisters, Aleema and Uzma, of any role in the Jinnah House attack, declaring them innocent. However, several top party leaders, including the PTI's parliamentary representatives, have been handed down sentences in cases related to the riots.

Separately, military courts have sentenced dozens of civilians to jail terms of two to 10 years over the May 9 violence, a move that has drawn criticism from human rights groups.

Khan, 72, was ousted as prime minister in 2022 after a parliamentary no-confidence vote and has since faced a series of legal cases. He has remained in prison since August 2023, and was barred from contesting the February 2024 election, which his party claims was marred by widespread rigging.