ATC grants bail to Imran Khan’s nephew Shershah

Shershah's brother Shahrez Khan was granted bail a day earlier in similar case

An anti-terrorism court in Lahore has granted bail on Thursday to Shershah Khan, nephew of former prime minister Imran Khan, in the May 9 Jinnah House attack case.

This comes a day after Shershah's brother, Shahrez Khan, was also granted bail, in connection with a similar case.

May 9 riots erupted nationwide following the arrest of Imran Khan, after which Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) leaders and workers staged protests targeting both civil and military installations, including Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The military condemned the events as a "Black Day" and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act. Military court convicted 25 individuals, including Imran Khan’s nephew, Hassan Khan Niazi, and later sentenced 60 more. In January, 19 convicts had their sentences pardoned following successful mercy appeals.

The court ordered Shershah’s release after accepting bail against surety bonds worth Rs100,000. The decision was announced by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul.

Read: Imran's nephew Shershah sent on five-day remand in May 9 riots case

Shahrez was arrested on August 21 and produced before the court on August 22, while Shershah was taken into custody on August 22 and presented the following day. The prosecution argued that Shershah was present at the scene of the riots and that video evidence was available to establish his presence.

Aleema Khan, speaking to reporters outside the ATC, said, “the judge has granted bail to my children, which is a matter of happiness. But the way they were picked up is regrettable.”

Aleema recalled Imran Khan’s stance, saying, “Imran Khan had said that even if you take away my entire family, I will not back down from my stance. We also stand with Khan. What happened to the military trial of Kulbhushan, who martyred thousands of Pakistanis?”

On Imran Khan’s incarceration, Aleema said, “Imran Khan is currently arrested only in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court was rewarded for not hearing Imran Khan’s appeal, and was permanently appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court. One day, he will have to answer for this.”