The NAB officials had sought 14-day physical remand of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman in Al-Qadir Trust Case.

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Wednesday granted eight-day physical remand of former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Al-Qadir Trust case.

As the hearing commenced, the NAB officials sought 14-day physical remand of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan. At this, the lawyers of Khan opposed it and said that the NAB had no jurisdiction in the case. They also said that the NAB did not share the inquiry report with them.

The lawyers also argued that fair trial was the fundamental right of Imran Khan.

“Imran Khan’s trial be held in open court,” said the lawyer.

NAB prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar appeared before the court and submitted that Imran Khan was shown arrest warrants at the time of his detention. He said that the necessary documents would be provided to the counsel of Imran Khan.

“This is a corruption case and the UK’s National Crime Agency has probed it,” said the prosecutor, adding that the money received from there was meant to be deposited into the national kitty.  He said that the said money was transferred to Bahria town instead of the government.

He stated that Imran Khan’s aide Shahzad Akbar had briefed him about the funds in a cabinet meeting, and the then prime minister ordered to keep the record sealed.

At this, Imran Khan interrupted the prosecutor’s statement and informed the court that the warrants were not shown to him during his arrest but were shown to him when he was taken to the NAB office.

Imran Khan told the court that he could not go to the washroom for last 24 hours and asked the court to allow his personal physician Dr. Faisal.  He feared he would be treated as “Maqsood Chaprasi was treated” and alleged that they injected something which slowly killed them.

Khawaja Haris, the counsel for Imran Khan, said that a building was constructed on the land of Al-Qadir Trust where people were getting free education.

Medical Report:

During the hearing, the medical report submitted its report before the NAB, saying that Khan was fit and he did not complain of any pain.

The board comprising seven doctors from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital and two doctors from the Polyclinic, examined Khan and conducted several tests.

Dr. Rizwan Taj headed the medical board and said that Khan’s blood pressure, sugar level, and heartbeat were normal after repeated tests.

Court indicts PTI Chairman Imran Khan in Thoshakhana case:

Additional District and Sessions Court on Wednesday indicted former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Thoshakahan case.

The PTI Chairman was present there in the courtroom who opposed his indictment in the case. The lawyers when realized that the court is going to indict Imran Khan they boycotted the proceedings and went out of it.

After the lawyers’ boycott, the court framed charges against the PTI chairman in Thoshakhana case.

Earlier, the authorities issued the notification and declared the new guest house of the police line ‘court’ for hearing of the case.  According to the notification, Imran Khan would not be taken to  G-8 or G-11 and he would be presented before the accountability court and the judicial magistrate.

They also deployed large number of police contingents outside the Police Line Headquarters, and the entry into the courtroom would be allowed as per the list. However, it is not yet clear that how that what is the criteria of the list while coverage of the case would also be allowed as per the will of the judges of the court.

There is high alert in twin cities after Imran Khan was arrested in Al-Qadir Trust case from the Islamabad High Court premises where he had reached for his biometrics. The Pakistan Rangers conducted operation to arrest Imran Khan.

The ousted prime minister had been campaigning for early elections in the country since the day his government was removed.  Before his departure to Islamabad, Imran Khan had addressed the ISPR and also left a message for his party workers and supporters.

“Perhaps, I will not be able to talk to you again. But I ask you to take out to streets for the real freedom,” said the former prime minister. As he reached Islamabad High Court for hearing of his two cases and went to the registry branch for his biometric he is seen calmly witnessing the Rangers personnel advancing towards him. The windows of the room where he was sitting were also smashed. Imran Khan’s lawyer got injured. The Rangers arrested him on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an autonomous anti-graft agency.

PTI called on the supporters to shut down the country against arrest of Imran Khan.  Complying with the call, the thousands of the party workers and supporters took to the streets, blocked the roads, chanted slogans against the government and demanded immediate release of Imran Khan.  The situation remained tense in the big cities including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Karachi and Faisalabad.  Hundreds of his party workers have been arrested.

What is Al-Qadir Trust Case?

The Al-Qadir Trust case has been ongoing since 2018 when the NAB initiated an investigation into the trust’s land dealings. The investigation revealed irregularities in the sale and purchase of land, with Imran Khan and others named in the case.

Later, Islamabad High Court confirmed the arrest of Imran Khan as legal and issued notices to IGP Islamabad and others for contempt of court. The court also sought report from the government authorities till May 16.