A top Pakistani court on Friday granted protective bail to embattled Prime minister Imran Khan who is facing charges in connection with the Toshakhana case.
This comes after Khan appeared in the court today, and hours after another court had suspended non-bailable arrest warrants against him till March 18 in a corruption case.
Khan travelled to the Lahore High Court (LHC) and was seeking bail in nine cases, including eight terrorism cases and one civil case.
The two-member bench of the LHC granted him bail till March 24, for five cases in Islamabad. For three cases in Lahore, Khan got bail till March 27, according to Geo TV.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Lahore High Court ordered Pakistan Police to halt their bid to arrest Imran Khan from his residence at Zaman Park in the Toshakhana case till 10 am Thursday. The order came a day after a clash erupted between PTI workers and law enforcement agencies outside the house of the cricketer-turned-politician.
On March 13, Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal issued an arrest warrant for the 70-year-old Khan and instructed the police to present him before the courts on March 18.
His arrest has caused stir among the people, and tension has been high since Tuesday, when the clashes first erupted outside Khan’s residence in the upscale Zaman Park neighborhood. Khan’s supporters threw petrol bombs at the officers, who fired tear gas and water cannons.
The former cricketer turned politician was ousted in a in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April.
What is the Toshakhana case?
Khan was accused of selling state gifts while in power and of concealing assets. He has also been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana, and selling them for profit.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
He was disqualified from the Election Commission of Pakistan in October last year for not sharing details of the sales.
What does Imran Khan say?
The former prime minister has vehemently denied these charges.
He has also claimed that his removal from power was a part of conspiracy by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the United States.
Imran Khan alleged that the state wanted to “torture and kill him in police custody,” a day after Punjab police failed to arrest him in a corruption case.
The former PM alleged that the government’s plan is to arrest him and send him to Balochistan. “My arrest is part of London plan. Their plan is clear to arrest Imran Khan and hold elections,” he said.
With agency inputs
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