LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday granted interim protective bail to PTI Chairman Imran Khan in a case of ransacking public property, including a metrobus station in Rawalpindi, during the May 9 riots.

       The PTI chief appeared before a two-judge bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi.

       Barrister Salman Safdar argued on behalf of Khan that the law and order situation in the district courts was very poor. He said two persons were gunned down in a firing incident at Lahore’s sessions court on Thursday.

       He said the former prime minister had threats to his life, therefore, he approached the high court instead of the relevant sessions court.

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       The counsel said the petitioner had been appearing before the courts on a regular basis only to seek bail in dozens of politically motivated cases. He asked the bench to allow the petition of the former prime minister for the protective bail.

       The bench granted protective bail to Khan for two weeks.

       On June 11, the bench had granted protective bail to the PTI chairman for two weeks in seven criminal cases registered in four cities of Punjab relating to the May 9 riots.

       The cases were registered in Rawalpindi, Mianwali, Gujranwala and Faisalabad.

       Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2023