Imran Khan remanded in 12 cases linked to May 9 riots

LAHORE: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has been given a 10-day physical remand to the Lahore police by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in connection with a dozen cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots.

The deposed premier, who is currently imprisoned in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, attended the hearing via video link today (Monday) at the ATC judge Arshad Nadeem's courtroom.

Khan was represented by his lawyers Usman Riaz Gill and Azhar Siddique in today’s hearing.

The ATC was hearing 12 cases related to the May 9 riots against the former premier which erupted following his arrest from Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises last year in which protesters targeted government and military installations.

At the outset of the hearing, investigation officers requested the ATC judge for granting approval to Khan’s physical remand in the relevant cases.

The PTI founder denied the charges and told the court that he had neither any connection with the May 9 events nor had he ordered the riots.

“I was attacked in Wazirabad,” the PTI founder said, adding, “[...] but a first information report (FIR) was not registered according to my will despite my [party's] government [in Punjab].”

He further alleged that CCTV footage was disappeared from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises.

Referring to the raid on his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, the deposed PM said he gave a call for a peaceful protest in response to an “attack on my home”.

The former premier, who was ousted from power via opposition's no-confidence motion in April 2022, said that he had requested the Supreme Court to hold a judicial inquiry into the May 9 mayhem.

He added that he has also reminded the chief justice to hear his petition.

Judge Nadeem remarked that he would make the ex-premier’s statement and arguments raised by his lawyers part of his order to be given in accordance with the law.

During the hearing, Khan’s lawyers Usman Riaz Gill told the ATC judge that his client should be produced in the court as previous hearings of different cases via video were conducted inside the Adiala Jail.

Stressing Khan’s “personal appearance as per the law” in the hearing, he requested the court to order concerned security institutions to produce his client, otherwise, it would be considered as a “failure of the government’s writ”.

The jurist questioned the prosecutor about reasons for not producing the PTI founder in the court. To this, the government lawyer replied that they could not produce him owing to security reasons.

Khan’s lawyer Azhar Siddique asked the prosecution to provide remand papers to his client to ascertain reasons for demanding his remand. The prosecution replied, “You cannot see it [...] it is a cipher.”

The ex-premier’s lawyers insisted that the concerned authorities were bound to produce the accused within 24 hours after taking custody by the law.

Advocate Azhar said that transit remand could be granted to an accused in case of a delay and sought rejection of Khan’s physical remand plea from the prosecution.

Furthermore, they argued that the government did not issue any notification for Khan’s appearance in the hearing via video call and “restricted to their client’s jail trial or hearing in the jail”.

Advocate Azhar said that transit remand could be granted to an accused in case of a delay and sought rejection of Khan’s physical remand plea from the prosecution. He added that an investigation cannot be directly conducted taking an accused into custody.

They pleaded with the ATC judge to issue Khan’s production order and raised objections to authenticity of the notification provided by the prosecution.

To this, the prosecution offered to bring original notification within 30 minutes.

After listening to the arguments, the ATC judge reserved a verdict on the prosecution's request for Khan's physical remand.

Later, the ATC judge announced its reserved verdict and approved a 10-day physical remand of the PTI founder in 12 cases related to the May 9 countrywide riots.

Of 12 cases, five cases had been registered at Sarwar Road Police Station, three cases lodged at Gulberg Police Station, and one case each at Race Course, Shadman, Mughalpura, and Model Town police stations.

In a turn of events, Lahore police swung into action immediately after the ex-premier and his wife Bushra Bibi got acquitted in the iddat case — also known as the un-Islamic nikah case — on Saturday which was the last hurdle in the couple's release from jail.

The couple was arrested, again, in a new National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference related to Toshakhana gifts on the same day.

After the anti-corruption watchdog secured Khan’s eight-day remand in the fresh Toshakhana case, Lahore police also declared the former premier’s arrest in connection with 12 cases related to the May 9 mayhem registered at different police stations of the provincial capital.