ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan in eight cases linked to the May 9, 2023 violence, when his supporters resorted to vandalism following his arrest in Islamabad.
Multiple cases had been registered against Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders for their alleged role in the unrest. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Afridi, with Justices Shafi Siddiqui and Miangul Aurangzeb, approved Khan’s bail after hearing arguments from his lawyer Salman Safdar and Punjab Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi.
PTI welcomed the verdict on X with the hashtag “Victory For Imran Khan”. His international spokesman Zulfiqar Bukhari noted that Khan now requires bail in only one case — the Al-Qadir Trust case — to secure release.
Despite the relief, Khan, 72, will remain incarcerated due to his conviction in the £190 million Al-Qadir graft case. He has been in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since August 2023.
Earlier, Khan’s bail plea in the May 9 cases was rejected by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in November 2024 and later by the Lahore High Court on June 24, 2025, before reaching the apex court.
The former premier continues to face several other cases filed against him since his ouster from office in April 2022.
