ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Rangers on Tuesday arrested former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Islamabad for his alleged involvement in Al-Qadir Trust.
The latest reports suggested that Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court as he reached there for biometric before his appearance before the court.
Rangers personnel took Imran Khan into custody and surrounded his vehicle as he reached the judicial complex of the federal capital. The security personnel shifted Imran Khan from there to some other place. A black Vigo parked there was used to shift Imran Khan from the judicial complex.
Imran Khan was on his way to biometric before his appearance before the Islamabad High Court. The sources said that Pakistan Rangers had the arrest warrants for Imran Khan in Al-Qadir Trust case of National Accountability Bureau.
The latest footages showed that the lawyer of Imran Khan got badly injured during the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The Rangers personnel broke the windowpanes of a room on the premises of the Islamabad High Court where Imran Khan was sitting for biometric. The PTI Chief was seeing the Rangers personnel breaking the windowpanes and coming towards him to arrest him. The PTI supporters confronted with the Rangers but they reached to Imran Khan, took him into their custody and pushed him towards a Vigo. The footage showed Imran Khan facing hardship in walking on the moment when he was being pushed towards the Vigo.
The sources said that Imran Khan has been shifted to the lockup of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Islamabad.
IHC CJ takes notice of Imran Khan arrest:
However, Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took notice of the arrest of Imran Khan and summoned IGP Islamabad and other officials in next 15 minutes. The IHC also sought explanation from the government authorities that in which case the PTI chief was arrested.
The IHC CJ took the notice after Imran Khan was arrested from the diary branch of the IHC where he was sitting for biometric. The sources said that the arrest warrants for the PTI chief were issued on May 1 while National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman had signed the warrants.
What is Al-Qadir Trust Case?
Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, are facing a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry about a matter regarding a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon.
The settlement reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.
According to the charges, Khan and the other accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion, equivalent to 190 million pounds at the time, sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government. Khan and others were accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, to establish Al Qadir University.
The sources claimed that the NAB summoned the PTI leaders in this case, and they would appear before the NAB’s investigation team soon. The NAB inquiry is ongoing, and further details are yet to be disclosed.
Meanwhile, PTI leaders denied any wrongdoing and termed the allegations as baseless. They have accused the opposition parties of trying to malign the government and its leadership through these allegations.
This is not the first time that Imran Khan has faced legal challenges. He was previously charged with contempt of court for making derogatory remarks against the judiciary during his party’s protest against alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections. However, he was later acquitted of the charges.
The current NAB inquiry against Imran Khan and other PTI leaders has raised concerns among the party’s supporters, who believe that the opposition parties are trying to create obstacles in the government’s efforts to address the country’s economic and political challenges.
The PTI government, which came into power in 2018, has been facing criticism from the opposition parties over its handling of the economy and its alleged failures in delivering on its promises. The government has, however, maintained that it is working to address the country’s challenges and is committed to delivering on its promises.
The outcome of the NAB inquiry against Imran Khan and other PTI leaders is yet to be seen. However, the charges against them are likely to have political implications, especially in the current political climate of Pakistan, where opposition parties are actively working to challenge the government’s legitimacy.
