Imran rules the LHC and is implicated in the May 9 conspiracy.

Citing testimony from two police officials, the Lahore High Court (LHC) declared on Thursday that former prime minister Imran Khan was a part of a conspiracy that led to the violent events of May 9, 2023.

Because there were enough grounds for criminal conspiracy and abetment, the court denied Imran’s post-arrest bail request.

Inspector Ismat Kamal and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Hassan Afzal’s statements, as per the detailed order, implicate Imran in the May 4 meetings at Chakri Rest Area in Rawalpindi and the May 7 and 9 meetings in Lahore. According to the court, this disproves the claim that Imran was incarcerated on May 9 when the violence occurred.

“These statements attract the provisions of Section 120-B and Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code,” reads the judgment. Criminal conspiracy and abetment of mutiny are covered in both sections, and they both have severe legal repercussions.

See also: LHC denies Imran bail in eight cases on May 9

The court noted during the hearing that there was no challenge to Imran’s earlier conviction in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Additionally, it claimed that his alleged remarks and deeds had caused fatalities as well as destruction of state property.

Forensic analysis is necessary for the audio and video clips that the prosecution provided, including transcripts created by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). The authorities were authorized by the court to perform voice-matching, polygraph, and photogrammetry tests on the jail grounds. But according to investigators, Imran’s persistent refusal to cooperate hampered the investigation.

According to the court, the charges are covered by Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits bail for serious offenses. It did not discover any new facts that would support a follow-up investigation or a bail release.

The court dismissed the petition outright, saying, “After taking into account all the facts, we are not inclined to grant post-arrest bail to the petitioner.”