In a legal reprieve for the jailed former prime minister, a Pakistani court on Thursday acquitted Imran Khan in two more cases related to last year’s violent protests by his supporters following his arrest.
The District and Sessions Court in Islamabad cleared Khan of the charges filed at Shehzad Town police station, citing “insufficient evidence” presented by the prosecution against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief.
“Because of insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution, the PTI founder has been acquitted”, the court order by Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir stated.
Khan, 71, has already secured acquittals in two other cases connected to May 9 vandalism earlier this month from a separate magistrate’s court.
The back-to-back legal victories have provided some relief to the embattled former premier, who remains incarcerated at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi over allegations stemming from the nationwide protests last year.
On May 9, 2023, Khan’s arrest on graft charges sparked widespread arson and attacks on military installations across Pakistan by enraged PTI workers. This collective outburst was very uncharacteristic in Pakistan’s history.
The rampage saw mobs storming the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence, known as the Jinnah House, as well as the Mianwali airbase, ISI building in Faisalabad, and even an audacious assault on the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
While the acquittals have buoyed Khan’s supporters, he still faces a multitude of other cases related to the May 9 violence, including charges of inciting attacks on state symbols and military assets.