Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday got big relief from the Islamabad High Court as the authorities have been restricted from arresting the ousted prime minister in any case till Monday morning 15th May.
IHC single bench Mian Gul Hassan heard Imran Khan’s plea and barred authorities from arresting him in any new case till 17th May. The bench also orders authorities to ensure foolproof security to Imran Khan.
Also Read: Supreme Court declares Imran Khan’s Arrest “illegal”
In today’s hearing the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted protective bail to former prime minister and PTI Chief Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case, a day after the Supreme Court ruled his arrest “unlawful”.
A two-member special division bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Imtiaz, who presided over the hearing, approved Imran Khan’s bail in Al-Qadir case for two weeks.
The IHC also issued notice to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and directed the anti-graft watchdog to submit report in the next hearing.
Terrorism Cases
A two-member bench of IHC headed by Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir — while hearing the petition seeking transitory bail in three terrorism cases directed Khan’s lawyer to assist the court only in the cases related to him.
The lawyer then pleaded to the court to grant his client protection in all the cases filed against him since 9th May.
“Government machinery is being misused,” the lawyer said.
In response, the judge presiding over the hearing said the incumbent government had a case registered against former interior minister Sheikh Rashid — a resident of Rawalpindi — in North Waziristan’s Baka Khel.
However, he also noted that the PTI government had registered similar cases against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Latif and others.
Then, the court granted bail to Khan and issued orders that he should not be arrested in the “cases that he has no knowleged of” till Monday morning.
Today’s Hearing
In today’s hearing which began after an hour-long delay. The two-member bench expressed its displeasure after lawyers chanted slogans in favour of the former prime minister.
During the first session, Imran Khan — in response to a reporter’s question on whether he was allowed to use a phone during his arrest or not — said: “NAB officials allowed me to talk to my wife via landline.”
The reporter then cross-questioned why Imran Khan contacted Musarrat Cheema when he was given the phone to talk to his wife.
At this Khan clarified that he could not contact his wife.
A reporter further asked whether he had expected to be arrested, to which Khan replied: “I was 100% certain that I would be arrested.”
As the courtroom erupted into slogans in favour of the PTI chief. The courtroom staff tried to stop the chanting; however, they failed to do so. At this, Justice Aurangzeb said that this was “unacceptable”.
Subsequently, the hearing was briefly adjourned for a break for Friday prayers.
Once the hearing resumed, Imran Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris presented the PTI chief’s pre-arrest and protective bail applications.
Haris said that they had found out about the anti-graft watchdog’s inquiry report from the newspaper, adding that arrest warrants can be issued only if an inquiry turns into an investigation.
“The reason mentioned in the arrest warrants stated that Khan did not appear before NAB despite repeated notices; however, as soon as the investigation started, an attempt was made to arrest him,” he said.
However, the lawyer informed the court that the inquiry had been converted into an investigation in April and that replies to two call-up notices had been submitted.
He then pointed out the legal flaws of the call-up notices and asked: “It is important to state in what capacity the concerned person has been called — as a witness or as an accused.”
In response to a question by Justice Aurangzeb, Haris said he had not visited the NAB office because the call-up notice was “illegal”.
He then concluded his arguments, saying that he had raised objections in a detailed reply, subsequent to which no further notice was received.
After that Islamabad Advocate General Barrister Jahangir Jadoon presented his arguments to the court.
He also added that there was no solid reason to bring this matter to the high court in the writ petition. At this Justice Aurangzeb said: “Has martial law been imposed here that we stop hearing all applications?”
Addressing the claims made by Khan’s lawyers, the NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi then revealed that the inquiry had started in July after which a call-up notice was issued.
Khan never appeared for the inquiry, he said, adding that notices had also been served to a business tycoon, Zulfi Bukhari, and others.
“Mian Muhammad Soomro, Faisal Vawda, and others who joined the inquiry were also served notices,” he claimed.
After hearing the arguments of both sides, the two-member special division announced its verdict.
IHC accepted Imran’s bail plea for two-weeks and also instructed the NAB prosecutor general and Imran’s lawyers to be prepared at the next hearing.
Fear of Arrest
Former prime minister Imran Khan said he might be arrested again by the authorities. While talking to media outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), said Imran Khan has again expressed his concern about his arrest.
Later in his informal talk at the Islamabad High Court, Khan said there was no reason to arrest him as he was in the court for bail. “I was abducted from the court.”
Imran Khan said he feels as Martial Law has been declared in the country.
Tight Security
Earlier, the Ex-Premier appeared before Islamabad High Court in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case amid tight security.
Extraordinary security arrangements were put in place in the capital during Imran Khan’s appearance at the high court. Police and Frontier Corps (FC) troops are deployed outside the IHC.
Containers have been placed near police lines on the Srinagar Highway and a heavy contingent of police and Rangers officials has been deployed under the Faizabad Bridge, Srinagar Highway and Police Lines.
On the other hand, the PTI said that “peaceful” supporters would gather at the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad’s G-13 to express solidarity with the ex-premier. The party also said that Imran would make a speech after his court appearance.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday that authorities would arrest Imran again.
“If (Khan) gets bail from the High Court, we will wait for the cancellation of bail and arrest him again,” Sanaullah told private tv.
“Unlawful” Arrest
Earlier Supreme Court of Pakistan declares Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s arrest “illegal” by NAB in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah in the supervision of CJP Umar ata Bandial, while hearing the former prime minister’s plea against his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case, termed Imran Khan’s arrest by Rangers from inside courtroom “illegal” and ordered his immediate release.
“It is good seeing you,” CJP Umar Ata Bandial told Imran Khan when he was presented before the three-member bench, and also asked him to “condemn” the violent protests that took place as a result of the arrest.
In response, the PTI chief forwarded a message to his supporters via media presented at that time in court that they should refrain from damaging public and private property.
“I don’t want any loss in the country nor do I wish for people to get incited. I just want free and fair elections,” the PTI chief told the court, pleading with the court that despite his responding to the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) notices, he was arrested.
In response to the court’s question about whether he knew what was going on in Pakistan, To which Imran Khan said his mobile phone was taken away and he was unaware about what was happening in the country.
Then the PTI chief requested the CJP to send him home, but the top judge said he was not going to do that and assured him that he would “remain at peace at the Police Lines Guest House”.
“You can stay there, talk, rest, and then present yourself before the Islamabad High Court tomorrow,” CJP Umar Ata Bandial told Imran Khan. The Top Judge then directed authorities to allow Imran Khan to meet as many as 10 people including his lawyers, friends, and family members.
The Top court also ordered the PTI chief to appear in Islamabad High Court tomorrow for his case hearing.
PTI filed Plea in SC
PTI had filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision calling party chief Imran Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) “legal”.
Terming the judgment ‘full of flaws’, Imran Khan termed the arrest warrants issued by the NAB ‘illegal’ and added that he did not receive notice of transforming the inquiry into the investigation.
The amount which is being termed as corruption by the NAB is already deposited into the Supreme Court’s account and the government can transfer it anywhere it wants from there, the plea stated.
Imran Khan’s Arrest
Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan arrested by NAB and taken into custody by Rangers from the premises of Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the Al-Qadir Trust Case.
The PTI chief was taken into custody in the Al-Qadir Trust case by Rangers from Islamabad High Court where the former premier had gone to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him. The former prime minister was taken in black Vigo and shifted to NAB office Rawalpindi by the law enforcement agency.
According to reports, the PTI chairman was going for biometric at the IHC when he was taken into custody. The NAB officials had arrest warrants.
Al-Qadir Trust case
The Ex-Premier, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, are facing a NAB inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.
As per the charges, the Imran Khan and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — 190 million pounds at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.
They are also accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, to establish Al Qadir University.