Courts extend Imran’s bail in foreign funding, terrorism cases

ISLAMABAD: A banking and an Anti-Terrorism Court on Monday extended the interim bail of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in two separate cases.

Banking court judge Rakhshanda Shaheen extended the PTI chief’s bail till November 10 in the party’s prohibited funding case during Monday’s hearing. Imran Khan’s lawyer Intizar Panjhota filed a request for exemption from attendance in court, saying that the PTI chief is in Lahore leading the long march. “Imran Khan is a leader of a political party and is leading a march,” he said. “We only request for the exemption for today as Imran Khan always appears in every hearing.”

Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi asked the court to reject the lawyer’s plea. “This is not justified that Imran Khan is in a march and cannot be present in the court,” he remarked. After the hearing, the court reserved its decision and accepted the plea seeking exemption from the court’s attendance. The court also heard the interim bail pleas of the suspects — Yunus Ali Raza, Sardar Azhar Tariq, Tariq Shafi and Faisal Maqbool — involved in the case.

The judge inquired about the PTI’s legal counsel Shah Khawar whether he will come and argue. She also asked about the total number of bails. At this, the assistant counsel said that there are four of them. Suspects Yunus, Tariq and Shafi appeared before the court meanwhile, Maqbool’s lawyer filed a plea seeking for exemption from court attendance. Lawyer Raja Abdul Qadeer said that is a heart patient and doctors have forbidden him to travel. The court adjourned the hearing.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court also extended Khan’s interim bail till November 9 in the terror case registered against him for violating section 144 and interference in the matters of the state. PTI chief’s lawyer Babar Awan filed a request seeking Khan’s exemption from the court’s hearing which was approved by the court. The court adjourned the hearing till November 9.