The Lahore High Court (LHC) has granted protective bail to Imran Khan in multiple cases, hours after the Islamabad High Court suspended his arrest warrants in the Toshakhana case.
The LHC had accepted the plea for bail in nine FIRs, which were filed against the ex-PM in Islamabad and Lahore.
“You have saved me,” Imran was quoted by news reports as saying to the judges after the verdict, as he thanked them.
In its decision, the court has also stopped authorities from all action against the accused until Tuesday.
Earlier today, the IHC suspended Imran’s arrest warrants until March 18, and asked him to appear before the trial court for a hearing in the Toshakhana case.
In his order, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq directed the police to ensure adequate security to the accused.
On Thursday, a district and sessions court of Islamabad dismissed PTI chief’s plea, filed for cancellation of non-bailable arrest warrants issued against him in the case.
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Announcing the decision, Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal observed that the warrants could not be cancelled on the basis of an undertaking.
The learned judge issued the verdict while hearing the ECP plea for criminal proceedings against the PTI chief for concealing the details of the foreign gifts meant for the state repository.
چئیرمین پاکستان تحریک انصاف عمران خان کارکنوں کی بڑی تعداد کے ساتھ زمان پارک سے لاہور ہائی کورٹ روانہ۔ pic.twitter.com/P209dYvr4o
— Naya Daur Urdu (@nayadaurpk_urdu) March 17, 2023
On the same day, Imran said that he was willing to talk to ‘anyone’ for the country and take every step in the direction.
According to him, he is willing to go to such lengths for the sake of the country’s progress, interests, and democracy.
The statement came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered archrivals PTI to sit down for talks amid an intensifying political crisis,
He had asked for all political forces to sit down for talks to rid the country of the political and economic crises.
Shehbaz had lamented that the PTI didn’t turn up for talks on at least two occasions, adding that though politicians are always open to talks, the PTI had a history of not responding positively to such offers.
