The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday approved bail for former Prime Minister Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots.
Back in November 2024, a Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court denied Imran Khan’s bail in these cases, which also involved the attack on the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence. Later, on June 24, 2026, the Lahore High Court also rejected his appeal against that decision. He then challenged this LHC decision at the Supreme Court.
A three judge bench, consisting of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the case. The counsel representing Imran Khan was Barrister Salman Safdar and the state was represented by Punjab Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi.
It is important to note that Imran Khan faces multiple other cases. Imran Khan has been in jail since August 2023 due to the state gifts case and is also serving time in the £190 million corruption case.He has other pending trials related to the May 9 riots.
The PTI celebrated the Supreme Court decision, posting on X with the hashtag:
#VictoryForImranKhan – Supreme Court granted bail to Imran Khan for May 9th cases. #May9th_FalseFlag operation proven!
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 21, 2026
Details of the Hearing
At the start, the Punjab prosecutor explained that he could not attend the hearing the previous day due to illness.
During the session, CJP Afridi asked about some observations made by the Lahore High Court, questioning whether such observations could have any impact on a bail decision. He also asked if precedent from other bail cases should apply to Imran’s case.
The prosecutor responded that observations of courts in bail hearings are temporary and do not have an effect on the conclusion of a case.
Following a brief recess, the prosecutor had requested the opportunity to speak on the merits of the case, but CJP Afridi explained that the court would only address legal issues regarding the conspiracy charges, and not the merits of the trial.
