Tough Road Ahead For Imran Khan Despite Back-To-Back Judicial Relief; Fresh Cases Slapped

Islamabad: Despite back-to-back judicial relief to beleaguered Imran Khan, the woes of Pakistan's former prime minister are far from over and he remained in jail on Sunday as authorities slapped fresh cases, including terrorism charges, on him. A district and session court on Saturday overturned the conviction of 71-year-old Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, 49, in the un-Islamic marriage case related to the violation of the mandatory waiting period for a Muslim woman between two marriages. The relief came a day after the Supreme Court in a key judgment declared that his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was eligible for the seats reserved for women and minorities in the national and four provincial assemblies.

The PTI will become the largest party in the National Assembly with 109 seats after the Supreme Court ruling. Two successive victories for Khan were being interpreted as some kind of change of heart on the part of the powerful establishment towards the PTI and its founder, but the subsequent developments belie any such possibility. The court in the Iddat case verdict stated that Khan and his wife should be released “if not required to be detained in any other case” and anticipating his release, a large number of PTI supporters accompanied by key leaders reached the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, where they have been kept, to welcome them.

But the PTI feared counter-measures by the government and announced that Khan would be arrested in three cases related to May 9 violence. Soon, the cricketer-turned-politician was arrested by Pakistan's Punjab police in 12 fresh terrorism cases related to the May 9 riots which erupted following his arrest in a graft case last year. "A Punjab police team on Sunday reached Adiala Jail Rawalpindi and arrested Imran Khan, founder of PTI, in 12 terrorism cases registered mainly in Lahore against him, including the attack on a military officer's house," a senior Punjab police officer told PTI on Sunday.

He said the police will seek Khan's physical remand from an anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Monday and added that all the 12 cases are related to the May 9 riots. Last week, Lahore's ATC dismissed a pre-arrest bail to Khan in three cases of May 9 riots and allowed police his custody for interrogation. Khan was booked on the charges of abetment in the attack on Lahore Corps Commander House, known as Jinnah House, Askari Tower and Shadman police station on May 9 last year. In another setback earlier on Sunday, a court handed over the former prime minister and his wife to the country’s anti-corruption officials on an eight-day remand to probe a fresh case of alleged corruption.

The former first couple, taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a fresh Toshakhana corruption case, was on Sunday presented before Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich of the accountability court. NAB Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon, who led the team to arrest them, requested their physical remand and the court, after hearing the lawyers, agreed to grant an eight-day remand. The court then ordered to present the two on July 22. They will continue to remain in high-security Adiala Jail during this period.

The remand period can be extended to a maximum of 40 days at the request of NAB if it is needed to probe the suspects. As courts operate within rules, it is not easy for Khan's legal team to secure his release. During his government, Khan and Bushra allegedly obtained gifts from the gift repository at low prices and sold them at higher rates.

This is the third Toshakhana case against Khan. His sentence in the two previous Toshakhana cases had been suspended by the Islamabad High Court. The new case alleged that the couple got some precious watches and other gifts from the state depository by violating rules. Khan faces a slew of cases launched against him since his ouster from power in April 2022 after he fell out with the establishment, believed to be instrumental in bringing him to power.

Despite dozens of cases against him and several party leaders, he has kept up his rhetoric by attacking the senior Army leadership and his supporters, churning out half-baked stories against the establishment on social media. The Army this month, after a key meeting, termed the attack on social media as “digital terrorism”, calling it “unwarranted criticism by some quarters”. Army commanders stated that the onslaught of politically motivated digital terrorism, unleashed by conspirators, duly abetted by their foreign cohorts against state institutions, is meant to induce despondency in the nation and sow discord through the peddling of blatant lies, fake news and propaganda.

The forum affirmed that military leadership is cognizant of the full spectrum of the challenges and resolved to shoulder its constitutionally mandated responsibilities with the support of the resilient people of Pakistan. Khan on his side uses the presence of media on the occasion of hearing cases against him in the Adiala Jail to fire salvos at rivals, showing unflinching resolve to fight. He also reiterates not to spare his tormentors. His own X handle is active, apparently operated by someone on his behalf, charging his opponents from the Army and civilians with an unwavering commitment. The same attitude has been displayed by his party leaders who often compete with each other to breathe more fire than others.

All this had added to his hardships despite getting relief from the courts regularly. The circuitous legal battle is getting more entangled due to the official opposition to his release from jail. Recently, political advisor to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, reportedly stated that new cases would be lodged against Khan in the coming days. Talking to the reporters in Lahore on June 15, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that Khan’s detention for the next five years was necessary to bring economic stability. “People come to us and tell us if Pakistan has to progress, then Imran Khan will have to be kept in jail for five years,” he said.