LAHORE: Over a week after vandals destroyed the Jinnah House in Lahore, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday condemned the attack and termed it “disgraceful” for Pakistan.
“Pakistan was defamed by this [attack]. It shouldn’t have happened,” the PTI chief said while speaking to journalists during an informal discussion inside the Lahore High Court (LHC) premises.
Khan’s remarks came after a journalist asked him about condemning the attack as he appeared at LHC to seek bail in the Zille Shah murder case. Earlier, he appeared at an anti-terrorist court (ATC) seeking bail in multiple cases filed against him in the wake of violent protests triggered by his arrest on May 9. The former prime minister was granted interim bail in all cases.
“I have condemned it before. Every Pakistani condemns it,” he responded.
Commenting on the Punjab Police’s claim about terrorists hiding inside his Zaman Park residence, the PTI chairman said: “I have opened my house to the media. There is no truth regarding the discussion on the presence of terrorists.”
When talking about the arrests of his party workers and supporters, Khan slammed the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government for human rights violations that he claimed defamed the country.
“The country cannot function in an atmosphere of fear. The PDM is in a fix after arresting 7,000 people,” the cricketer-turned-politician said.
ATC grants interim bail to Khan
Earlier, an anti-terrorism court granted interim bail to the PTI chief in three different terror cases till June 2, including the attack on the Corps Commander House, also known as the Jinnah House.
The court’s decision came during the hearing of a plea seeking Khan’s interim bail in two cases for which he appeared in person.
The court also ordered Khan to be included in the investigation and directed him to not create any obstruction in the process. Meanwhile, the PTI chief was also ordered to submit surety bonds worth Rs100,000.
“You don’t worry,” the cricketer-turned-politician said when responding to the judge.
Khan’s counsel Salman Safdar told the court that Khan was in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) custody when the ill-fated incident happened. “Imran Khan strongly condemned the incident as soon as he found out about it,” he said.
After being granted interim bail, the PTI chairman headed towards the Lahore High Court.
Earlier, the PTI chief’s counsel requested the court to put Khan’s bail hearing on hold while he was on his way. The bail was approved, after which the hearing was adjourned for a while.
It should be noted that the former prime minister has been booked in multiple anti-terrorism cases at the Race Course police station in Lahore.