Jailed former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has approached an Anti-Terrorism Court here seeking bail in 12 cases linked to last year’s May 9 riots, a media report said on Tuesday.

The 71-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician’s legal team, led by lawyer Salman Safdar, has filed the petitions, the Express Tribune reported on Tuesday.

Khan, who is currently on judicial remand in all the cases, claims that there is no recovery to be made from him. He argues that the cases are based on malice and are a form of political retaliation against him. The petitions request the court to grant post-arrest bail in these cases.

Recently, the Lahore High Court (LHC) provided major relief to Khan by declaring his physical remand in several May 9 cases null and void.

LHC division bench comprising Justices Tariq Saleem and Anwarul Haq had passed the order on petitions filed by Khan challenging the ATC’s decision to approve his physical remand in the cases related to the May 9 violence.

After hearing the arguments of the prosecutor general and Khan’s counsel, the LHC set aside the anti-terrorism court’s decision to grant his physical remand noting that he will remain in judicial custody in these cases.

The May 9 riots in 2023 were triggered nationwide after Khan was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a 190-million-pound corruption case. He faces over 200 cases and has been in jail since August last year.

Khan has been imprisoned at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for almost a year upon his conviction multiple in cases. His wife Bushra Bibi is also jailed along with him. Though Khan had secured bail or his conviction was set aside, he has not been released.

Khan was arrested on August 5 last year after his conviction in the first Toshakhana corruption case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Since then, he has been kept in jail in various cases.

The PTI believes he is being arrested in more cases at the behest of the powerful military establishment to make sure that he does not come out of jail.

Bushra Bibi named as suspect in 11 cases

Bushra Bibi, the wife of Imran Khan, has been named as a suspect in 11 cases, including the attack on the army headquarters on May 9 last year, the Rawalpindi district police informed the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday.

The Rawalpindi police presented a report in the IHC, providing details of the cases filed against 49-year-old Bushra, who has been incarcerated in the Adiala Jail of Rawalpindi along with her husband. The court had ordered authorities to provide details of the cases registered against her.

During the hearing, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor also submitted a response according to the court’s order, revealing that four cases have been registered against her with NAB, including three in Rawalpindi and one in Lahore.

Though Rawalpindi and Islamabad police and NAB submitted their responses, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Balochistan police have not come up with the details of the cases against Bibi. The IHC issued fresh notices to the FIA and Balochistan police to

come up with details by Monday and adjourned the case until then.

Bibi married Khan in 2018 and became his third wife.

During Khan’s rule, she was considered extremely powerful but after the fall of the government, she, like her husband, has been implicated in several cases.

Bushra Bibi has been named in various cases, including the Army Museum, GHQ Gate 4 attack case, the burning of a sensitive military building in Saddar Cantt, attacking an intelligence agency office on Murree Road, and other incidents of arson, rioting, and vandalism in different areas.

She has also been named in cases at the RA Bazaar, Civil Line, New Town, City, Waris Khan, and Taxila police stations.