LAHORE: A Pakistan court on Tuesday refused to grant pre-arrest bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in three cases related to the May 9 riots and allowed police custody of him for questioning.

Following his arrest in a corruption case, Khan was booked on May 9, 2023 on charges of instigating the attacks on Lahore Corps Commander House, also known as Jinnah House, Askari Tower and Shadman Police Station.

Currently, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder is facing more than 200 cases and is in jail since August last year.

Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Lahore Judge Khalid Arshad on Tuesday refused to grant pre-arrest bail to Khan and his pleas in three cases after the prosecution equated the May 9 violence with the United States Capitol Hill attacks. Rejected and said police required custody. The former Prime Minister has been asked to complete the investigation in three cases.

Khan's lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar said there were no witnesses to prove that the former prime minister instigated the violence and raised questions as to how he could have hatched the conspiracy while in custody on May 9.

He argued that Khan had condemned the protests and urged his supporters to desist from violence after his release.