By Mashal Khan

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani High Court on Saturday released a prominent journalist Imran Riaz Khan on bail in 18 cases filed against him by the government.

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi took up the petition, which was filed by lawyers Shazib Masud, Mian Ali Ashfaq, Rana Abdul Maruf Khan and Mian Izhar Ahmed on Imran Riaz's behalf, seeking to either quash the cases against Khan. 

However, the court after hearing Khan's lawyer granted bail till July 19 and asked Khan to appear before the court after Eid holidays. 

Khan, who is facing charges of treasons in multiple cases, was initially taken into custody by Attock police near Islamabad on Tuesday night. He was later granted relief by a local court in the wee hours of Thursday, only to be immediately arrested by a team of Chakwal police outside the courtroom, according to Dawn. 

Punjab government registered 18 cases against Khan in different districts to mentally torture him as he is vocal against the regime change in the country. 

Khan criticized the current government after former Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the US to hatched a conspiracy against him government and ousted him from power through the then opposition parties.

Imran Khan calling the present government as "imported government" istalled by the Washington. 

Many journalists who criticized the then opposition parties move to toppled an elected government, now facing cases and police registered FIRs against them and accused them charges of treasons.

The Amnesty International, Federation of International Journalists and other world human rights organization strongly condemned the Pakistani government for harrasing the journalists and arrest them in fake cases. 

"The contents of 95 to 98 per cent of all cases are exactly the same," Dawn quoted Khan's lawyer as saying , adding that the Constitution allowed freedom of expression and once again said multiple cases could not be registered on a single charge.

"Anyone who defames his forces or spreads chaos in the country is [committing] a crime. It is not a crime if a person brings correct news in good faith," Ashfaq contended.

He once again said that his client had said nothing against the military and there was no evidence present for any of the registered cases.

The lawyer argued that the police did not even have the authority to register such an FIR as it came under the Federal Investigation Agency's domain.

"Imran Riaz never made the statement for which he is being blamed for in the FIRs."

He further argued that the FIRs claimed those who had liked the journalist's alleged statement were also complicit in the crime, adding that two million people had liked his statement.

Justice Najafi remarked at this point that the journalist had a responsibility because of his large following., according to Dawn