The Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Ali Zia Bajwa excused himself from hearing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s interim bail plea in a case pertaining to the murder of PTI activist Zille Shah, who died during a rally in Lahore.
The deposed premier submitted a plea through his legal representative, Barrister Salman Safder. The plea asserted that a groundless case had been filed at Sarwar Road police station, claiming that Imran Khan was being singled out for political reasons and subjected to victimization.
Justice Ali Zia Bajwa recused himself from hearing the plea citing personal reasons and sent a file to Chief Justice to fix the petition before another bench.
Imran Khan, in his petition, has appealed to the LHC to issue an order granting him interim bail.
Earlier, the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore granted interim bail to former prime minister May 19.
During the hearing Imran’s council told the court that his client could not appear in court due to an ongoing political situation in the country. “Imran Khan will appear in the next hearing,” he said.
After hearing arguments, the judge then granted Imran’s request for a one-day exemption from the court hearing and directed him to appear on May 19.