Imran moves LHC seeking protective bail

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Friday moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking protective bail in a first information report (FIR) registered against him in the Ramna Police Station. As per the FIR, the deposed prime minister is accused of “insulting the institutions, tarnishing their image, inciting people against them and abetment”. The PTI chairman contended in his petition that he is “absolutely innocent and has been falsely implicated with ulterior motives and malafide intentions in this case just to tarnish his reputation, harm his growing mandate among masses and victimize him politically”. “Being head of the largest political party and aggrieved from such malpractice, the petitioner craves for the kind indulgence of this court for the grant of protective bail," added the petition. The deposed premier further implored in his petition that a series of “false criminal cases have been registered against him, senior leadership of the PTI and active participants since past few months”. Read: Imran evades arrest in Lahore, demands 'public trial' of Toshakhana case He added that the hidden agenda, quite apparently, behind the registration of these FIRs is to pressurize leadership. “In the past, PTI leaders had been severely tortured and humiliated during custody. This is another attempt made by the State Functionaries to secure straightaway arrest of the petitioner and inflict inhumane custodial torture” the petition stated. The former prime minister maintained that an inordinate and unexplained delay of 18 days in lodging the instant case is concerning and raises questions about the intention behind the cases. “It appears that this time was used for careful planning and seeking instructions to register a malicious case against the petitioner, solely to satisfy their political adversaries,” the petition added. The petition added that the complainant is a magistrate, but the sequence of events suggests that this particular police station has become a hot spot for registering cases against the petitioner. In light of these circumstances, it seems clear that the petitioner's involvement is nothing more than a concentrated effort to tarnish his reputation. “Such a delay in lodging the FIR without a reasonable explanation only adds to the suspicion and casts doubt on the legitimacy of the case,” maintained the former prime minister in the petition. He also requested the court to grant him protective/transitory bail in FIR No-255/23 registered on April 6, 2023, under sections 500, 505 and 138 of PPC 1860 enabling the petitioner to surrender and approach the competent court having “jurisdiction” to entertain the bail petition

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