PTI Chief Imran Khan 'Wanted' In Three Dozen Lawsuits

PTI Chief Imran Khan 'Wanted' In Three Dozen Lawsuits
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan faces a whopping 36 cases that are currently pending against him in various legal jurisdictions of Islamabad, Lahore, and in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

These include disqualification, pre-arrest bail, criminal proceedings, protective bail, and defamation cases. One case from 2014 pertains to terrorism as well, and the PTI chief is yet to be granted pre-arrest bail in that one.

While Khan's bail is pending in two cases, he can be arrested if it is revoked in any one of them.

Most of the cases against the former prime minister are lodged in Islamabad. Twenty-five of these are pending in the sessions court of Islamabad, and Khan is on bail in all the cases except for two.

A case in which Barrister Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha is the complainant was registered at the Secretariat police station in the wake of protests after the Toshakhana verdict. In this, Khan’s pre-arrest bail application is pending, which is scheduled for hearing 27 February.

The second case is a private complaint of the ECP, in which it filed a request for criminal action against Khan for submitting a false affidavit in the Toshakhana reference.

Additional sessions judge Zafar Iqbal summoned Imran Khan in the latter's personal capacity on 28 February. The former premier’s indictment is likely to be filed on the same day, while his lawyers are also likely to challenge the court's jurisdiction.

Among the remaining 23 cases of the sessions court in Islamabad, some were registered in different police stations against protests on May 25 and 26 last year. Other cases were registered in the context of rallies in August 2023, and for violating Section 144.

The case of issuing a threatening statement against additional sessions judge Zeba Chaudhry is also included in these cases. Some of the cases were registered after the Toshakhana verdict in October 2023. Two cases of 2014 – pertaining to attacks on the PTV building and parliament – are also included.

In all of these 23 cases, Khan is on bail and the trial is pending.

The former premier is on pre-arrest bail in the case registered under the Foreign Exchange Act, in the context of prohibited funding case. The court has ordered him to ensure attendance on 28 February, failing which there is the possibility that the bail will be dismissed. The bail of the co-accused in this case has been already granted.

In addition to this, in the context of the Toshakhana decision, the special anti-terrorism court (ATC) rejected Imran’s pre-arrest bail application in the Sangjani police station's terrorism case after his failure to appear before the court. After this, Imran secured a protective bail from the Lahore High Court (LHC) in the same case till 3 March.

It is likely that if the PTI chief appears in the banking court on 28 February, he will also seek a pre-arrest bail from the ATC.

Three defamation cases are pending in the sessions court of Islamabad, including one filed by Khan against Khawaja Asif. Another defamation suit, filed by Imran against Najam Sethi, is also pending between the former premier and a private television channel. Yet another defamation case, between Imran Khan and Shehbaz Sharif, is also pending in the sessions court of Lahore.

Three cases are pending in the Islamabad high court (IHC), including a disqualification case against Imran. In this case, Imran is accused of not declaring his alleged daughter Tyrian White in the 2018 nomination papers.

The second is against the ECP's decision on the Toshahkhana reference. In the ECP, the case for Imran’s removal as the party leadership in the context of the Toshakhana decision is pending. The third pending case pertains to a show-cause notice in the prohibited funding case.