Pakistan’s Supreme Court grants bail to Imran Khan

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan in eight cases stemming from the 2023 riots, when his supporters were accused of attacking military installations and other state properties, his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said, according to Arab News.

The unrest erupted on May 9, 2023, after Khan was briefly detained by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. Authorities alleged that PTI supporters vandalized vehicles, stormed state buildings, and targeted military facilities during the violence, which left at least eight people dead and led to the arrest of nearly 2,000. The army was eventually deployed to restore order.

Khan faces multiple charges, including incitement to violence, which he has consistently denied. “The Supreme Court has granted bail to Imran Khan in May 9 cases,” PTI said in a message to the media. “Now, only bail in the Al-Qadir case remains for him to be released from jail.”

In January, Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the Al-Qadir Trust case, while his wife, Bushra Bibi, received a seven-year sentence. Prosecutors allege that during his premiership (2018–2022), Khan and his wife received land from a real estate developer in exchange for political favors. The couple denies the allegations, maintaining that the land was allocated for the trust—a welfare body they established—to run educational and spiritual institutions.

Khan has been behind bars since August 2023, when he was sentenced to three years for illegally selling state gifts, a conviction that also disqualified him from contesting the 2024 general elections. He insists that all cases against him are politically motivated.