Pakistan: Imran Khan scheduled to appear before Lahore High Court

Imran Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistan, is expected to appear before the Lahore High Court on Monday in connection with cases brought against him for setting fire to the home of the Corps Commander in this city and other violent outbursts that followed his arrest last week.

After locking himself inside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) building for hours on end on Saturday, Khan, who had been granted bail on Friday, went back to his Lahore residence. The IHC had granted 70-year-old Khan bail, preventing the authorities from detaining him in any cases filed after May 9, and instructed him to go before the Lahore High Court on May 15 for additional relief.

According to the reports, Imran Khan was granted pre-arrest release for two weeks in the Al Qadir Trust case by Islamabad High Court, in which the former cricketer-turned-politician was detained by the National Accountability Bureau on May 9. However, as per the Supreme Court, the arrest of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan from the High Court premises is illegal and referred the matter to the Islamabad High Court.

According to the senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman of the party is likely to appear before the Lahore High Court to seek pre-arrest bail in six cases registered against him in several parts of Pakistan after May 9. He also disclosed that Khan also held a meeting with the other party leaders at his Zaman Park residence, where he discussed the party strategy.

Reportedly, the Corps Commander House in Lahore was attacked and set ablaze on May 10, and the Punjab police also filed five other FIRs against Khan for encouraging his supporters to assault and damage government structures and military sites. One of the Pakistan’s senior official informed on Sunday that over 3,500 people have been arrested in Punjab province for their involvement in the violence erupted after Khan’s arrest.

Noteworthy, Imran Khan was removed from office in April of last year after losing a vote of no confidence in him, which he said was a result of a US-led plot to assassinate him for his independent foreign policy choices on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.