Azadi March vandalism: Imran granted bail till July 6

ISLAMABAD: The court of a district and sessions judge on Friday granted PTI Chairman Imran Khan bail till July 6 in 10 cases pertaining to vandalism during the party's long march in the federal capital. The court directed the former prime minister to submit Rs5,000 as surety against his bail in each case and summoned the police with case records to the next hearing.

Sessions Judge Kamran Basharat held the hearing on the bail pleas of Imran Khan, who appeared in the court in person. Strict security arrangements were made in and around the court while general complainants were not allowed to enter the court's premises.

The cases in which the former premier has been granted bail were registered at Aabpara, I-9, Kohsar, Karachi Company, Golra, Tarnol and Secretariat police stations. Earlier, an Islamabad court granted interim bail to senior PTI leaders on June 20 for vandalism that took place during the party’s Azadi March to Islamabad on May 25. Police had booked around 11 PTI leaders in a case pertaining to violence at the Kohsar police station in which the court had reserved its verdict. A decision on case no 425 of the same station has been postponed.

The PTI leaders granted pre-arrest bail include former planning minister Asad Umar, ex-deputy speaker National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri, Senator Faisal Javed, former interior minister Sheikh Rashid, ex-defence minister Pervez Khatak, PTI Vice-President Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Shehryar Afridi, Ali Mohammad Khan, Sheraz Basharat, Raja Khurram Nawaz and Murad Saeed, among others.