ISLAMABAD: Hours after a sessions court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Imran Khan for skipping hearings in the Toshakhana case, which relates to the purchase of gifts from the state depository, Pakistan's Islamabad high court granted him interim bail on Tuesday.
In four cases that were scheduled to be heard in various courts in Islamabad throughout the day, including one for attempted murder, Imran was required to appear in person.
Moshin Nawaz Ranjha, a lawmaker for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was attacked outside the Election Commission's office in Islamabad in October, when PTI workers and supporters were protesting the disqualification of their party chief from parliament due to the Toshakhana case. Moshin Nawaz Ranjha had filed the attempted murder case against Imran.
A violent protest by PTI supporters outside the office of the electoral body against its decision to disqualify him led to the filing of a terrorism case against him.
Imran and other PTI leaders had been booked weeks earlier by the civilian Federal Investigation Agency in connection with their party's alleged receipt of prohibited funding. The state brought the case in Islamabad through the agency's corporate banking circle.
Imran traveled from Lahore, where he had been recovering from a gunshot wound, to the judicial complex in Islamabad, which houses both the anti-terrorism court and the banking court.
While he was granted bail in three cases, the Sessions Court issued a warrant for his arrest that could not be used for bail in the Toshakhana case and postponed the hearing until March 7. Imran went to the Islamabad High Court shortly after this setback and was granted pre-arrest bail until March 9 with a surety of Rs 1 lakh ($480).
