LAHORE    -    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday granted post-arrest bail to anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan in a case registered by Sadr Chakwal police. Justice Ali Baqar Najafi granted the bail while hearing a petition filed by the anchorperson against his arrest and quashment of 18 First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against him. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued before the court that the police had registered 18 FIRs against his client in different cities of the province. He submitted that all the FIRs were identical. He pleaded with the court to quash the FIRs registered against his client, besides an alternate prayer to investigate and prosecute him in one FIR as charges were similar. He also requested to suspend the operation of the FIRs till the final decision of the petition. At this stage, the Advocate General Punjab Shahzad Shaukat, who appeared on court’s call, made a concessional statement under the instructions that the Punjab government was willing to show grace to the petitioner.  It (Punjab government) had no objection if post arrest bail is granted to him in case registered by Sadr Chakwal police till the next working day, when he should appear before the judicial magistrate concerned, AGP added. To a court query, anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan also undertook that he would not release any statement regarding the issue during the pendency of the petition. Subsequently, the court granted post interim bail to the anchorperson till July 13. As per an interim order released here, the court granted interim bail to the anchor person till July 13, subject to furnishing personal surety bonds to the satisfaction of the registrar. The court directed the anchorperson to appear before the judicial magistrate concerned for appropriate orders, and adjourned further hearing till July 19, besides seeking parawise comments from the respondents. The Chakwal police had registered an FIR against the anchorperson under sections 501, 505-1(c), 505-2 and 109 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) along with sections 4, 5,11,16, 20, 22 of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and section 16 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.