Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan arrived at the Islamabad High Court on Thursday for hearing his bail petitions in over a dozen cases linked to violent protests after his arrest on May 9 and the Toshakhana graft case.
A video posted on his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) official Twitter account showed the PTI chief's black SUV entering the premises of the court as his security personnel stood guard with bulletproof shields.
Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq will hear seven bail petitions filed by Khan in multiple cases A division bench of the IHC will hear Khan’s bail plea in a case registered against him for the murder of senior Supreme Court lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar — who was shot dead in Quetta earlier this week, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Amid a tight schedule on Thursday, Khan will also appear before a district court at the Federal Judicial Complex for a petition seeking pre-arrest bail in a first information report (FIR) related to the alleged fraud in the sale of Toshakhana gifts, which was registered on June 6, it said.
Khan, 70, arrived at IHC for hearings in over a dozen cases pertaining to violent protests in the aftermath of his arrest on May 9, the Toshakhana corruption case and others, the report said.
He is also expected to appear before an anti-terrorism court in 10 cases related to violating Section 144 and threatening a female judge.
Earlier in the day, the FJC registrar granted the PTI chief permission to enter the court premises in his vehicle.
In the request, Khan said it was crucial for him to have access to his vehicle within court premises to “ensure safety and minimise potential risk during the attendance”.
The Toshakhana is a department responsible for storing gifts and other precious items given by foreign officials to Pakistani public officials.
Khan is accused of “deliberately" concealing details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana during his time as prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.
Khan has faced a number of legal issues over his retention of gifts. The issue also led to his previous disqualification by the electoral body. Last month, the PTI chief was indicted in the case.
Paramilitary personnel arrested Khan from the Islamabad High Court premises on May 9. The arrest triggered unrest in Pakistan, leading to several deaths and dozens of military and state installations being destroyed by the angry PTI protesters.
Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
