Pakistan's Imran Khan gets bail on murder charges - lawyer
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[June 08, 2023]
By Asif Shahzad
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Ousted Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan secured
bail on Thursday from the Islamabad High Court over new murder charges,
blocking his arrest in that case for 14 days, his lawyer said.
The ousted prime minister had been arrested on May 9 and held for three
days, triggering violent protests by his followers. He is now free on
bail in a range of other criminal cases.
He had travelled to the capital from his Lahore home to seek bail in the
murder case and extend his bail in over a dozen other cases, to avoid a
new arrest, said the lawyer, Barrister Gohar Khan.
The 70-year-old former cricket hero who become prime minister in 2018
has been embroiled in a confrontation with the powerful military since
he was ousted in a no-confidence vote last year.
The military has ruled directly or overseen civilian governments
throughout the history of a country in which political confrontations
are often fought out in court.
Khan's May 9 arrest on corruption charges, which he denies, sparked
protests by his supporters who ransacked military facilities, raising
new worries about the stability of the nuclear armed country of 220
million people as it struggles with its worst economic crisis in
decades.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jun/08/images/ads/current/culligan_sda_PROMGRAD_2023.png)
Since Khan was freed, new charges against him have been piling up. On
Wednesday, police named him in connection with the murder of a lawyer
seeking sedition proceedings against him.
Khan says he is facing nearly 150 cases and denies guilt in all of them.
Khan's lawyer, Gohar Khan, said the former prime minister would on
Thursday approach anti-terrorism courts, anti-graft courts and the High
Court in Islamabad to appeal for bail in connection with more than a
dozen cases.
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![](../images/060823PIX/news_a49.jpg)
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran
Khan pauses as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in
Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jun/08/images/ads/current/debbiesfloral_lda_060123.png)
Khan, who has been campaigning for an early election since his
ouster last year, said in an online address to party workers on
Wednesday that he was resigned to the possibility he could be
arrested for a second time.
The military, which denies involvement in civilian politics,
initially saw Khan with his conservative, nationalist agenda as a
leader who shared their interests. But as prime minister, Khan took
steps that angered the generals, in particular in connection with
security sector appointments.
He has accused the military and its intelligence agency of trying to
destroy his party, saying he has "no doubt" he will be tried in a
military court and jailed as part of the army-backed crackdown on
his party.
The military issued a statement on Wednesday saying all planners and
perpetrators of the May 9 violence had to be brought to justice.
The prime minister who replaced Khan, Shahbaz Sharif, has rejected
his call for an election before one is due by late this year. Khan
says the cases against him are aimed at ensuring he is excluded from
the polls.
Khan has appealed for talks to end the standoff with the military.
The government has rejected his calls.
(Reporting by Asif ShahzadEditing by Robert Birsel/Peter Graff)
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