Imran involved in May 9 conspiracy, rules LHC
The Lahore High Court (LHC) ruled on Thursday that former prime minister Imran Khan was involved in a conspiracy behind the violent events of May 9, 2023, citing testimonies from two police officials.
The court dismissed Imran's post-arrest bail petition, noting sufficient grounds for criminal conspiracy and abetment.
According to the detailed order, statements by Inspector Ismat Kamal and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Hassan Afzal place Imran as the one who perpetrated meetings held on May 4 at Chakri Rest Area, Rawalpindi, and on May 7 and 9 in Lahore. The court said this undermines the argument that Imran was in jail during the violence on May 9.
'These statements attract the provisions of Section 120-B and Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code,' reads the judgment. Both sections deal with criminal conspiracy and abetment of mutiny, which carry serious legal consequences.
Read: LHC rejects Imran's bail in eight May 9 cases
During the hearing, the court observed that Imran's prior conviction in the Al-Qadir Trust case was uncontested. It also said that his alleged statements and actions had led to the loss of lives and damage to state property.
The prosecution submitted audio and video clips, including transcripts prepared by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), which require forensic examination. The authorities had obtained court permission to conduct photogrammetry, polygraph and voice-matching tests within jail premises. However, investigators reported that Imran repeatedly refused to cooperate, hindering progress.
The court concluded that the charges fall under the prohibitory clause of Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which bars bail in serious offences. It found no new circumstances to justify further inquiry or release on bail.
'In collective consideration of the facts...we are not inclined to grant post-arrest bail to the petitioner,' the court stated, dismissing the petition outright.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
9 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Muhannad al-Lili, Palestinian footballer, dies in Israeli airstrike on Gaza
Muhannad al-Lili, a professional footballer from the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, died Thursday from injuries sustained in an Israeli airstrike that struck his family's home last week. He was 30. According to the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) and Middle East Eye, an Israeli drone launched a missile that hit al-Lili's bedroom on the third floor of the building. He suffered major head trauma and internal bleeding and died after several days in critical condition. Al-Lili played for Khadamat al-Maghazi, a club based in central Gaza. He rose through its youth system, later helping the senior team qualify for the Palestinian Premier League in 2016–17. He went on to play for Shabab Jabalia, where he was part of the squad that finished second in the 2018–19 season. A ligament injury briefly stalled his career at Gaza Sports Club, but he returned to Khadamat al-Maghazi and remained active until his death. The PFA says he is the 265th footballer to be killed during the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Sports journalist Leyla Hameed places the number higher—over 430 players, she says, have died since the escalation began. Muhannad al-Lili, a footballer for Nadi Khadamat al-Maghazi, has died from injuries he sustained when Israel bombed his family's home in the Maghazi refugee camp, Gaza. He's the 439th player killed. Human dignity should not be confined to one side of a line on a map. — Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) July 3, 2025 Al-Lili had reportedly planned to reunite with his wife, who left Gaza for Norway before the conflict intensified. Their son was born abroad during the war, but al-Lili was unable to leave Gaza and never met the child. Images from his recent wedding circulated widely on social media after news of his death broke. Tributes poured in from across Gaza's sports community. 'Every day we bid farewell to a new athlete. We could be the next target,' wrote fellow footballer Mohammad al-Sharif. Every day we bid farewell to a new athlete.💔. We could be the next target. Our colleague, Muhannad Al-Laili, a player for the Al-Maghazi Services Club, succumbed to his wounds after an Israeli airstrike on his family's home in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza. — mohammad al sharif 🇵🇸 (@mohamd684083) July 3, 2025 Others pointed to what they called a double standard in global media coverage. 'A lot of people and sports outlets mourned Jota's death, which is tragic,' wrote journalist Abubaker Abed. 'But they've said nothing about hundreds of Palestinian footballers killed in Gaza. Racism and hypocrisy at their peak.' On the left is Palestinian striker Mohannad Al-Lilli killed by Israel: Barely few from the sports world cared and paid him tribute. On the right is Liverpool's forward Diogo Jota who passed away following an accident: The entire world is in grief for him. Racism is cancer. — Abubaker Abed (@AbubakerAbedW) July 3, 2025 Al-Lili's funeral was held quietly in the camp amid ongoing bombardment. His death adds to the growing toll of Gaza's sports infrastructure, which officials say has been severely damaged or destroyed in repeated attacks over the past nine months.
Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Express Tribune
May 9: IHC overturns sentence of 4 PTI workers
Listen to article The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday acquitted four Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers who had been convicted in connection with the May 9 riots. The convicts had challenged their sentences in the IHC. Earlier, the ATC, headed by Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, had sentenced Sohail Khan, Mohammad Akram, Shahzeb and Mira Khan to 10 years in prison on May 30 for their alleged involvement in attacking a police station in Islamabad's Ramna area. The convicts had been charged under Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) Sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing official duty), 188 (disobeying order of a public servant), 324 (attempted murder), 353 (assault on public servants), 436 (arson) and 440 (mischief); Section 144 of CrPC; and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997. They were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment under Section 7 ATA, five years under Section 324 of PPC, four under Section 436, two each under sections 353 and 148. In total, 11 PTI members, including MNA Abdul Latif, were sentenced, but only four were arrested while the remaining suspects are still at large. May 9, 2023, refers to the day when former prime minister and PTI founding chairman Imran Khan was taken into custody by paramilitary Rangers from the Islamabad High Court premises on charges of corruption. The PTI founder's arrest sparked countrywide protests, during which demonstrators allegedly belonging to the former ruling party vandalized state-owned buildings and military installations, including the Lahore Corps Commander's House, commonly known as Jinnah House. Following the protests, several PTI leaders and workers were arrested on various charges, including setting government infrastructure on fire. On Thursday, a divisional bench of IHC comprising Justice Azam Khan and Justice Khadim Hussain Somroo overturned the verdict of ATC, declaring the sentences void after hearing arguments from both sides. PTI lawyers, including Babar Awan, Sardar Masroof and Amna Ali, represented the appellants in the IHC. Awan argued that out of nine prosecution witnesses, only one — ASI Muhammad Sharif — identified the accused. He said no injuries were reported despite allegations of gunfire. "Punish for crimes proven, but do not turn the system into a joke," he told the court. Justice Somroo questioned the prosecution about the evidence to which the prosecutor responded that evidence existed but requested additional time to present it. The court, however, rejected this plea, observing that all arguments had already been heard. The bench noted that no medico-legal certificates (MLCs) or injured persons were presented and questioned the basis for convictions without proving the accused were present at the crime scene. The IHC observed that none of the witnesses had stated in their testimonies that the accused were present at the site. The bench further questioned whether the court was now expected to convict solely on the basis of an identification parade.
Business Recorder
15 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Court reserves verdict on Shehbaz plea
LAHORE: A session's court on Thursday reserved its verdict on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's petition to make the legal notice a part of the record in his defamation suit against PTI former Chairman Imran Khan. The court will announce its verdict on PM Shehbaz's plea on July 10. Earlier, the defendant's counsel stated that the suit mentioned a legal notice was sent to his client on May 08, 2017, but no such notice was attached with the document. PM Shehbaz had sought permission to present the legal notice before the court. PM Shehbaz in his defamation suit filed in 2017 said that Imran Khan levelled baseless allegations on him. He said Imran Khan accused him of offering Rs 10 billion through a common friend in exchange for withdrawing the case of Panama Papers from the Supreme Court. He sought a decree for recovery of Rs 10 billion as compensation from the defendant for publication of defamatory content. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
