The Lahore high court granted Imran Khan preventive bail from arrest until March 3 in a case involving protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan office, according to Geo TV. The high court dismissed the second plea after Khan’s counsel withdrew the petition, according to Dawn.
High court justice Ali Baqar Najafi granted bail to the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief following a high-stakes drama outside the Lahore high court premises. Outside the court, a large crowd of PTI supporters had gathered to greet Khan as he arrived for his hearing. He set two deadlines of 5 p.m. and 7:30 pm to appear before the bench.
As Khan’s convoy made its way to the court, social media was flooded with videos of it being showered with rose petals. A large police presence was stationed at the court’s main entrance.
An anti-terror court in Islamabad denied the ex-request PM for an extension of his interim bail in the case last week.
Following the disqualification of their leader in the Toshakhana case, his party workers took to the streets outside the Pakistan EC offices, prompting the filing of a terrorism case against the former cricket captain.
Protesting PTI workers and police officers clashed in cities such as Islamabad, Peshawar, and Karachi. In October of last year, the court granted Khan pre-arrest bail and summoned him several times. However, the PTI leader did not appear in court, citing medical reasons for injuries sustained in an assassination attempt.
