Imran gets bail after he finally appears in court

LAHORE: Marking an end to the hours-long ruckus created inside its premises, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday approved Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s protective bail plea till March 3 in a case pertaining to protests in Islamabad.

After several notices served to Khan, the PTI chairman ‘finally’ appeared before the LHC Monday to present himself in two separate hearings as the judges told his lawyers that his presence was mandatory in bail pleas.

Despite reaching LHC premises within the allotted time — 5pm — Imran Khan could not appear before the court till around 7:30pm as his convoy was surrounded by a massive number of party supporters.

The LHC had granted the former prime minister the last few minutes to present himself before the court after the initial deadline of 5pm lapsed, warning lawyers that the judges would leave if the former prime minister won’t reach the courtroom in the given time. After multiple adjournments, a two member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) — headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi — resumed hearing into Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s bail plea.

Advocate Khawaja Tariq Rahim, Khan’s counsel, apprised the bench that the former prime minister was present in the court’s premises and pleaded with the court to mark the attendance of the wounded leader in his vehicle.

At this, Justice Najafi directed the counsel to produce his client before the court as he has reached the court’s premises. Referring to the rush inside the court’s premises, the lawyer said that Khan’s plaster would damage if someone pushes him.

“Suspect’s appearance in court is mandatory for interim bail,” remarked the judge. Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing till 7:30pm. Earlier today, Khan’s counsel, in view of the PTI workers’ massive rush inside the court’s premises, pleaded with the court to mark the attendance of the injured leader in his vehicle but the court turned down the request.

Khan appeared before the court along with his counsel after the adjournment and sought a protective bail in the terror case.

Taking the rostrum at the outset of the hearing, Khan said that he had to undergo x-rays on February 28. He pleaded with the court to grant him a two-week protective bail. The PTI leader also said that he respects the courts. Meanwhile, the court granted him interim bail till March 3.

Following his bail plea approval, Khan appeared in Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh’s court as the LHC had noted the discrepancy in the documents last week during the hearing of a protective bail plea of Khan, who was unwilling to appear in court due to security concerns.

Khan had moved the high court after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad cancelled his bail in the case over non-appearance on February 15. Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh is hearing the case.

During the previous hearing on February 16. The single-member bench of the LHC ordered the PTI chairman to appear before it on February 20 at 2pm.

Taking note of Khan’s absence despite orders at the outset of the hearing, Justice Sheikh inquired where the PTI chief was as he was asked to appear in court at 2pm. Khan’s lawyer told the court that his client was on his way and was late due to security issues.

Justice Sheikh told the counsel that resolving the security issues was not his problem and then adjourned the hearing once again. When the hearing resumed again, lawyer Khawaja Tariq Rahim said that there was traffic on Mall Road which is why the PTI chief was late. He added that the police had communicated to them that Mall Road would remain free from traffic but there was a traffic jam.

The lawyer then told the court that his client does not see himself “bigger than the high court”, adding that the PTI chief will come but arrangements need to be made. When the judge pressed the counsel to explain the reasons why his client is not appearing, the lawyer said a perception is being created that Imran Khan doesn’t want to appear before the court.

“Let me issue a show cause notice and fix a date after three weeks,” the judge remarked. At this, the counsel said Khan will come tomorrow. “Not this early,” the judge responded, asking the counsel to let him write down the order as “you are making fun of law”.

The LHC judge noted, “Imran Khan is a leader, a role model and should remain so.” At this, the counsel promised to produce Imran Khan by 5pm. The judge then said, “This is the last chance for Imran Khan as the court had already granted him concession”.

Meanwhile, blaming the incumbent coalition government for its “political victimisation” of his party leaders and allies, announced kickstarting the ‘Jail Bharo’ (court arrest) movement from Wednesday, starting from Lahore.

“We will fill jails, they [authorities] will have no space left to hide,” he said while warning the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led (PDM) government during his address to the nation via video link from Lahore’s Zaman Park residence on Friday, where he has been residing since being shot in the legs on November 3 last year.

In the wake of sedition cases filed against his party leaders including Fawad Chaudhry, Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill, Imran Khan on February 4 announced “Jail Bharo Tehreek” and asked PTI workers and supporters to prepare for movement across the country.

“They want to enslave us by threatening to put us in jails,” the former prime minister, who was ousted following a vote of no-confidence in April last year, said vowing to fulfil the wish of authorities.

Khan claimed that the police entered the homes of PTI workers in Multan and were tasked with such threatening tactics. “If this work is being done by the police, then won’t the people hate them?”

The interim government is strongly against the PTI, he added. While referring to the caretaker setup, he said: “The man with a questionable character was brought in. We have a list of 23 people who had inflicted atrocities of which 16 were brought in.”

The PTI chief also recalled the “torture” inflicted on his party’s leaders highlighting the treatment meted out to Swati, Gill and Fawad. “Never in history have such acts been committed against political opponents,” Khan lamented.

The tensions between the incumbent government and the PTI have heightened, with no sign of respite as the elections in two provinces — Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — near, following the party’s decision to dissolve the assemblies. Punjab and KP assemblies were dissolved by the PTI on January 14 and January 18, respectively.

Firing fresh broadside at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PTI chief said: “It is dangerous that the CEC [Chief Election Commissioner] is showing his inability on conducting the election.”

Khan’s fresh criticism comes hours after President Dr Arif Alvi summoned CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja for an urgent meeting on February 20 (Monday) regarding the announcement of the date for fresh general elections.

He said that they dissolved the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP as per the knowledge that the country’s Constitution clarifies that the elections should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of any assembly.

“The caretaker government and the interim chief ministers would be illegal on the 91st day,” he added. No disaster could be bigger than that when the judiciary failed to ensure the implementation of the Constitution, he said while hitting out hard at the polls organising authority. “There is no justice where the rule of law collapses.”

Khan said that they had been claiming that the coalition government did not have the mandate and they cannot run the country. Blaming the interim government for obstructing the probe against the assassination attack on him in Wazirabad on November 3 last year, the PTI chief said “its job is to only conduct elections”.

“The interim government first comes and stops the [joint investigation team] JIT and steals records. When an officer goes to collect the JIT report, it is found that only 11 pages of the report are remaining,” he said, adding that the JIT records are being claimed to have gone missing.

The former premier, lambasting the interim setup in Punjab, said that all links were pointing at them and they were worried about being caught. Lashing out at the incumbent rulers over the recently announced mini-budget, Khan asked as if raising prices is a “tough decision.”

The government has broken the backbone of people by hiking the prices of all daily-use items, the deposed prime minister added. “[IMF] loans are not the solution to the problems being faced by the country.”

Taking a jibe at the PDM government, Khan said: “They did not come into power via election but auction. The government does not seem to conduct elections in 90 days. They fear elections.” The ruling alliance wanted to win elections through the rigging, he accused the authorities and at the same time warned that the PTI would not “keep silent over snatching of elections”.

According to the PTI chief, it seems that institutions are under pressure and the government is running away from elections. He also vowed that the PTI would not let the government rig the elections, no matter what they do.

Turning his guns towards the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party in Sindh, the former prime minister said the PPP has no vote bank in Karachi but it showed achievement in recent elections in the metropolis.

Referring to journalist Arshad Sharif’s assassination and alleged crackdown against his party’s leadership, Khan said that the government wanted to send them behind the bars, hence, they would launch a court arrest campaign across the country.