Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has approved bail for the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in four cases related to the May 9 incidents, where arson and violence took place across the city.
Judge Arshad Javed issued the decision following a hearing on the bail petition.
During the hearing, Punjab Prosecutor General argued that the May 9 rally on Lahore’s Mall Road escalated into planned attacks on sites like Askari Tower and Jinnah House, aimed at inciting public unrest.
The Prosecutor noted that similar bails for co-accused individuals had been denied in earlier hearings.
However, PTI founder’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, countered that the PTI founder was not in Lahore on May 9 and that there was no substantial evidence linking him to the incidents. He argued that the cases were politically motivated.
After reviewing the records, the court granted bail in four cases, which include charges of setting government property and vehicles ablaze.
The PTI founder still awaits bail hearings for eight other May 9 cases, scheduled in Lahore’s ATC Court No. 1 on November 30.
