ISLAMABAD: The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan claimed in front of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court that he was shown an arrest warrant only after he was shifted to the NAB building in Islamabad on Tuesday.
The statement by Khan was made during the proceedings of the Al Qadir Trust case in which he was allegedly produced handcuffed.
The NAB Deputy Prosecutor informed the court that the arrest warrant was shown to Imran Khan at the time of his arrest. However, Imran Khan contested this statement, saying that he was only shown the warrant after he was taken away from the Islamabad High Court to the NAB building.
During the hearing, the NAB Deputy Prosecutor also assured the court that all necessary documents pertaining to the case would be handed over to Imran Khan’s lawyer. The proceedings were conducted by Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashmir.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the NAB has demanded 14 days of physical remand for Imran Khan.
“During the Accountability Court proceedings, Imran Khan’s lawyers asserted that their client has the fundamental right to a fair trial and that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) lacks jurisdiction in this case. They also opposed the idea of physical remand.”
Khawaja Haris, who represented Khan, argued on the legal aspect of the case, saying that the arrest of Imran Khan was not lawful. He pointed out that the Al-Qadir Trust, which owns the land in question and provides free education to the public, is a legal entity and not a public office holder. Additionally, Haris notes that Imran Khan is not currently a public office holder.
The case is still ongoing, and further updates are expected to follow as the proceedings continue.
It may be added here that Khan was arrested inside the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday while seeking pre-arrest bail in two cases. During his appearance, Rangers personnel entered the bio-metric verification department and apprehended him. He was then taken away in a Black Vigo vehicle towards the NAB building. Several hours later, the Islamabad Inspector General of Police informed the media that the PTI Chairman had been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with the Al Qadir Trust Case.
More to follow…
