ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court granted bail on Thursday to jailed former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in eight cases linked to the May 9, 2023 violence, when his supporters stormed government buildings and military installations after his brief detention.The relief, however, offers little respite to the PTI founder. Khan, in prison for more than two years, remains behind bars in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust graft case, while several other corruption and terrorism-related trials remain pending against him.Khan was first jailed in Aug 2023 in a case involving the sale of state gifts. An anti-terrorism court later refused him bail in cases connected to the May 9 riots, and on June 24 the Lahore high court also dismissed his plea, prompting him to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.The top court’s order comes days after army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s remarks in Brussels stirred a storm back home. Munir was quoted as saying that Khan should “apologise for the May 9 violence, sit silently in Banigala (his residence in Islamabad), and let the present system complete its term”.The comments sparked a furious backlash from PTI’s large social media base, which sees Khan’s continued incarceration as part of a wider military-led effort to crush the party. Party leaders said the remarks were proof that Khan’s legal battles are being dictated not in courtrooms but from Rawalpindi.Political observers say the episode underscores Pakistan’s enduring civil-military imbalance. Once considered close to the establishment, Khan has emerged as its most vocal critic since his ouster in April 2022. His confrontation with Munir is now seen as the defining contest in Pakistan’s power struggle, overshadowing judicial proceedings and parliamentary debates.“The message is clear – Khan will only be allowed political space if he apologises and withdraws from active politics,” a senior analyst in Islamabad said. “This is less about legal cases and more about forcing him into silence.”Khan’s supporters, meanwhile, hailed Thursday’s court ruling as a moral victory. But with his convictions intact and multiple cases still hanging over him, the former prime minister remains far from freedom.
