The Supreme Court of Pakistan has postponed the Imran Khan bail hearing in eight cases linked to the May 9 riots, delaying the proceedings until August 12, 2025. The adjournment came without issuing any notices, despite a request from the legal team representing the PTI founder.
On Tuesday, a two-member bench led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui heard Imran Khan’s appeal against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) earlier rejection of his bail requests in these high-profile May 9 cases.
Imran’s legal representative in the Supreme Court, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, appeared before the bench in place of senior counsel Salman Safdar, who is currently abroad. Raja informed the bench that Safdar had sought a one-week adjournment and requested the court to issue formal notices to relevant parties. However, the bench denied the requests and adjourned the Imran Khan bail hearing to next month.
The cases stem from the violent protests that erupted on May 9, 2023, following Imran Khan’s arrest from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. The unrest led to attacks on government and military facilities, including the Lahore corps commander’s residence. In November 2024, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore denied Imran bail in these cases, a decision upheld by the LHC on June 24, 2025.
Following the LHC verdict, Imran Khan moved the Supreme Court, arguing that he was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at the time of the violence, making it “impossible” for him to have orchestrated or abetted the attacks.
The petition filed by Salman Safdar claimed that the PTI founder had been subjected to an “unprecedented campaign of political victimisation” since his ouster as prime minister in 2023. It also alleged that the LHC based its decision on “fabricated evidence,” including statements from police officials who reportedly attended PTI meetings in secret.
According to the LHC judgment, prosecution witnesses claimed Imran instructed PTI leaders during meetings held on May 4 in Chakri and from May 7–9 at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, encouraging them to attack military sites in the event of his arrest.
Despite being acquitted in other politically charged cases such as the cipher and Iddat trials, the May 9 cases remain a major legal hurdle for the former prime minister.
With the Supreme Court adjourning the Imran Khan bail hearing until August 12 without issuing notices, the legal battle over the May 9 incidents continues to evolve. PTI maintains that the charges are politically driven and based on unreliable testimonies. As the next hearing approaches, both legal experts and political analysts will closely watch the court’s next steps in one of Pakistan’s most significant political and legal sagas.
