LHC 'annuls' Imran Khan's physical remand in May 9 riots case

Giving relief to incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, the Lahore High Court on Thursday annulled Imran Khan's physical remand in the May 9 riots cases.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Justice Anwarul Haq Pannun, heard the petition of the former premier challenging physical remand in 12 cases of the May 9 violent protests.

The court also nullified the notification related to the virtual appearance of Mr Khan before the court.

During the hearing, Justice Pannun inquired about the number of cases Khan was nominated.

In response, PTI founder’s counsel, Salman Safdar, said that his client was booked "directly or indirectly" in 20 cases.

The Prosecutor General Punjab, Syed Farhad Ali Shah, informed the court that as many as 37 cases were registered against Mr Khan in the wake of the May 9 riots in Punjab.

"Out of which 18 were registered in Lahore but he was not arrested in the cases as his pre-arrest bail plea was pending before the court," he added.

Shah added that the authorities were still arresting the suspects of the May 9 incident and their identification parades, and other legal processes were being completed.

Barrister Safdar responded to the prosecutor that the police were arresting the suspects 14 months after the incident.

Following the arguments of both the petitioner's counsel and the prosecutor, the court reserved the verdict and pronounced it after a few hours.

In the verdict, the court annulled Imran Khan's physical remand in 12 cases.