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       LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has fixed the hearing for post-arrest bail petitions of incarcerated PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in eight cases of May 9 riots including the Jinnah House attack.

       A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa will resume hearing of the petitions on Monday (tomorrow).

       In this matter, Barrister Salman Safdar, the counsel for the petitioner, has already concluded his argument in favour of the bail. The last hearing of the petitions was held on May 27.

       An anti-terrorism court had on Nov 27, 2024 denied bail to the former prime minister in these eight cases.

       The bail petitions mainly argue that the prosecution failed to establish the petitioner`s association with the unfortunate occurrences narrated in the FIRs.

       They say the petitioner has been implicated in the May 9 cases as a result of a well-orchestrated plan merely to harass and humiliate him for political reasons even though admittedly he was in the custody of the NAB.

       The sole allegation against the petitioner in the cases is of ‘abetment’, which has been supplemented by the prosecution most vaguely, the pleas add.

       They argue that the trial judge overlooked the fact that frivolous and baseless allegations related to the May 9 events have already been rejected due to inconsistencies in the story of the investigating agency.

       The petitions ask the LHC to set aside the trial court`s decision and grant bail to the former prime minister in the eight FIRs.

       Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2025