- Imran Khan’s bail is extended by an Islamabad court in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad accountability court has granted PTI Chairman Imran Khan bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case until June 19. The bail is provided against surety bonds worth Rs500,000. Imran Khan arrived at the Federal Judicial Complex following the Islamabad High Court’s instruction to approach an accountability court within three working days.
The Al-Qadir Trust case alleges that Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, acquired large sums of money and land from a real estate firm to legalize Rs50 billion that was repatriated to Pakistan by the UK during the previous PTI government.
Imran Khan was taken into custody by paramilitary forces on May 9, leading to widespread protests across the country. Despite seeking release from the Islamabad High Court, his arrest was deemed legal. Imran Khan then approached the Supreme Court, which declared his arrest “invalid and unlawful” on May 11 and directed him to appear before the Islamabad High Court the following day.
Following this, the Islamabad High Court granted Imran Khan bail in the case for two weeks and prohibited authorities from arresting him until May 17 in any case filed in Islamabad after May 9. On May 17, the court extended the order to prevent his arrest in cases filed after May 9 until May 31.
During the recent hearing presided over by Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Khawaja Harris, mentioned the Islamabad High Court’s order. The lawyer informed the court that they had prepared a petition in advance in case the need arose. Harris requested the court to grant Imran Khan bail until June 17 as he was required to appear before an anti-terrorism court in the capital on that day.
NAB Prosecutor Sohail Arif requested the court to schedule another day for the bail hearing as June 17 fell on a Saturday when record rooms were closed. Consequently, the judge extended Imran Khan’s bail until June 19, subject to surety bonds worth Rs500,000.
In addition, the Islamabad High Court extended Imran Khan’s bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case for three days and directed him to approach the relevant accountability court within that time. The order was issued by a bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz.
Imran Khan’s bail was also extended in two other cases, related to the violation of Section 144 and a bar on his arrest by Islamabad police in any case filed after May 9. The pleas were heard by a bench comprising Justice Aurangzeb and Justice Aurangzeb Alamgir. The court extended his protective bail on both petitions for 10 days and restrained the police from arresting him in any case within Islamabad’s jurisdiction after May 9.
Meanwhile, an Islamabad accountability court declared the bail plea of Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, in the Al-Qadir Trust case as “infructuous” after NAB Investigation Officer Mian Umer Nadeem stated that her arrest was not necessary.
Imran Khan had recently raised questions about the credibility of the NAB probe in the Al-Qadir Trust case and the agency’s failure to take action against Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz. In his response to a call-up, Imran Khan shifted responsibility onto his former accountability aide Shahzad Akbar for making a secret deal with Malik Riaz. The NAB grilled Imran Khan for about four hours and deemed his response unsatisfactory. Imran Khan also raised concerns about the recovery of funds and the lack of action against Bahria Town in the case.
To read more: Islamabad High Court to Review Imran Khan’s Bail Application in £190m Settlement Case
