Pakistan Court Extends Bail To Imran Khan Till March 27 In 5 cases

A top Pakistani court today extended till March 27 the protective bail granted to former prime minister Imran Khan in five cases related to terrorism after he appeared before a two-member bench here.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) granted the extension of anticipatory bail to Khan after the 70-year-old chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf appeared before it amidst tight security.

Last week, Mr Khan was granted anticipatory bail in these five cases till March 24.

Of the five cases, one is related to the alleged attack on the judicial complex in Islamabad in which the government law officer objected that Khan should secure protective bail from Islamabad court.

Mr Khan told the LHC that last week on his appearance before a court in Islamabad police and FC (frontier constabulary) personnel fired teargas shells at his car and a clash took place between the PTI workers and police.

Besides, a plot was hatched to kill him there and that is why he returned to Lahore.

"My life is in danger I request the court to watch a video to see that I was waiting outside the judicial complex for 40 minutes as I am speaking the truth," he said and added he was facing a total of 140 cases out of which 40 were of terrorism and it is not humanly possible to appear in every case.

Mr Khan also informed the court that despite its order the Punjab police raided his house in Zaman Park Lahore and damaged it and stole several articles.

"Is there a law of the jungle or Pakistan being a banana republic," he remarked.

The LHC's two-member bench comprising Justice Tariq Salim Sheikh and Justice Anwaar Hussain accepted Khan's plea and extended his protective bail in all five cases, including in judicial complex attack one, till March 27.

The court also issued notices to the Punjab government and the Inspector General of Police, Punjab over the raid at Khan's house.

Mr Khan is facing 143 cases registered in different parts of the country since the Pakistan Muslim League-led government came to power in April last year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)