- High court grants two-week interim bail to PTI chief in Al-Qadir Trust case
- Former premier also gets protective bail in three terrorism, Zille Shah murder cases registered in Lahore
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday barred the authorities from arresting former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan till May 17 , in all cases registered in Islamabad, including those “undisclosed registered across the country after May 9.”
The IHC also granted protective bail to the former prime minister in three terrorism cases registered against him in Lahore and the Zille Shah murder case.
According to details, a division bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz on Friday granted PTI Chairman PTI Imran Khan two-week interim bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case, a day after the Supreme Court declared his arrest from the IHC premises “invalid and unlawful”.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had formed a “special” bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz to hear Khan’s bail plea.
The IHC division bench heard the PTI chief’s bail plea at courtroom No.2. The legal of team of Imran Khan had also filed four additional pleas which urged the IHC to club all the cases against Imran and direct authorities to provide details of the cases registered against him.
The hearing of cases begun after nearly two-hour delay with media reporting that officials were conducting a security sweep outside the courtroom. But they were halted shortly after they began at 1pm on account of Friday prayers. When the hearing resumed after 2:30pm, Imran was present in the courtroom alongside his legal team and his lawyer Khawaja Haris presented his arguments.
Haris contended before the court that the action undertaken by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was illegal. He argued the NAB could only issue an arrest warrant after the inquiry had formally been turned into an investigation.
He said that the PTI had gotten to know that NAB had formally initiated an investigation against Imran through media reports. He also said that PTI chief had approached the IHC on May 9, seeking the NAB report in the inquiry, but he was arrested before he could enter the courtroom. At one point during the hearing, the court asked the petitioner if he was provided a questionnaire in connection with the case, to which Haris replied in negative.
He said that Imran was issued a call-up notice which he did not appear for, but submitted a written reply instead. Haris further said that the accountability watchdog was “biased” at the moment. The court also instructed the NAB prosecutor general and Imran’s lawyers to be prepared at the next hearing, saying that it would then decide if Imran’s bail should be cancelled or extended.
Protective bail in three Lahore cases
Separately, IHC’s Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri granted the PTI chief protective bail in three terrorism cases registered against him in Lahore for 11 days against surety bonds worth Rs50,000 each.
During the hearing, the PTI chief told the court that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had warned of arresting him again, saying that there was no rule of law in the country currently.
Earlier, Justice Jahangiri also approved Imran’s protective bail in a case pertaining to the death of Zille Shah — a PTI worker who was killed during a party rally in Lahore earlier this year — for 11 days against surety bonds worth Rs50,000.
‘Was hit in the head during arrest’
In an informal conversation with journalists at the IHC, Imran said that NAB officials treated him “fine” but hastened to add that he was hit on the head while being arrested.
He further said that he was also not able to get in touch with his wife Bushra Bibi. “I asked the NAB team to let me talk [to her]. They let me talk to her on the landline,” he said.
مجھے جیل لے جا کر وارنٹ دکھایا گیا: عمران خان
مزید تفصیلات: https://t.co/SGfafTAOlK pic.twitter.com/GaVhlFZOu5— Independent Urdu (@indyurdu) May 12, 2023
Talking about violent protests in the country, he said, “How could I have stopped whatever happened? I had already told [you] that there would be a reaction to the arrest.
“When I was [taken into custody], then how can I be responsible?” the former premier asked.
In a video shared on social media by Independent Urdu, Imran further said: “I was sitting in the high court. They had no reason to arrest me. I was abducted.
“And there they showed me the warrant for the first time when they took me to jail. This happens in the law of the jungle where the army abducts. Where did the police go? Where did the law go?” he asked.
“The law of the jungle has been instated in the country. It seems as if martial law has been declared,” he said.
“When I reached the court yesterday, I found out for the first time that 40 helpless people have lost their lives in this. I did not even know about this,” he added.
Punjab police headed to Islamabad to arrest Imran in ‘new cases’
Talking to the media outside the IHC after the break in proceedings due to Friday prayers, PTI lawyer Babar Awan claimed that a police team from Lahore had left for Islamabad to arrest Imran in “new cases”.
“There are two to three people in the incumbent administration who are worried because if Imran Khan is released, their jobs will be in danger,” he alleged, adding that this was why Punjab police had been called to the capital.
Awan reiterated there were threats to Imran’s life, adding that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had also said the same. “Why then are they so adamant to arrest Imran? Let me tell you, any attempt to arrest Imran again will be unconstitutional.”
The lawyer also alleged that “special people” were hired to “hunt” the PTI chief and said that those who sent the ex-prime minister to jail were responsible for the violence in the country.
“Before Imran Khan was sent to jail […] the country’s situation was in front of you. Today, the situation has escalated at the hands of those who were struck out by the Supreme Court […] and that is NAB,” Awan added.
Imran arrives at IHC
The PTI chairman had arrived at the IHC shortly after 11:30am amid tight security and was then taken for his biometrics. Footage aired on television showed police and Rangers officials deployed outside the court premises and barbed wire placed in front of the gate.
Footage from outside the IHC showed a large number of lawyers shouting slogans expressing solidarity with the PTI chief.
عمران خان اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ میں۔۔#میں_بھی_عمران_خان_ہوں
pic.twitter.com/DKkT44Ax0z— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 12, 2023
Meanwhile, Islamabad police said that all unnecessary people had been removed from outside the court premises. It added that DIG Operations Shahzad Bukhari was overseeing the process.
Imran was whisked away from the IHC premises by paramilitary forces on Tuesday in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case — which alleges that Imran and his wife obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town illegally — leading to violent protests across the country.
عمران خان اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ میں۔۔#میں_بھی_عمران_خان_ہوں
pic.twitter.com/1Fw2ATlZPu— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 12, 2023
The PTI chief had immediately approached the high court for release but it had declared his arrest legal, following which he had approached the Supreme Court.
Section 144 enforce in Islamabad
Ahead of the hearing, the PTI said that workers and supporters would gather on Srinagar Highway in Islamabad’s G-13 to express solidarity with the party chief. The party also said that Imran would make a speech after his court appearance.
اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ کے اطراف سے غیر متعلقہ افراد کو ہٹادیا گیا ہے۔
ڈی آئی جی آپریشنز شہزاد بخاری تمام عمل کی نگرانی کررہے ہیں۔#ICTP #Islamabad
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) May 12, 2023
The party announcement came despite the fact that Islamabad police late on Thursday night issued a statement saying that Section 144, which bans public gatherings, was still imposed in the capital and requested political workers not to “obstruct the legal process”.
“We request those giving calls for protests in Islamabad tomorrow not to cause disturbance of peace,” it said in a tweet, adding that legal action would be taken against those inciting the public.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday that authorities would arrest Imran again.
“We will arrest him again. If he gets bail from the high court tomorrow, we will wait for the cancellation of bail and arrest him again,” he told Dunya TV.
SC terms Imran’s arrest ‘unlawful’
Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court had directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and police to ensure “foolproof” security for Imran until his appearance before the high court on Friday.
The court said it took up the case since the right to access to justice was denied and the sanctity and safety of the high court were violated. The court observed that the arrest was illegal and said the entire process needed to be backtracked since a citizen enjoyed certain guarantees, particularly access to justice, on the court premises.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said Imran being a senior leader should consider opening up a dialogue channel with his political opponents “whom he may not like but they are a reality” as this would restore confidence among the people.
Later, in a three-page order, the detailed reasons for which will come later, the apex court said the manner of execution of the arrest warrant issued by the NAB chairman in the Al Qadir Trust case on the IHC premises against Imran was invalid and unlawful.
“The execution of the warrant violated Khan’s right of access to justice and the sanctity and safety of the court as he had already surrendered to the court for seeking judicial relief against the action taken by NAB in the Al Qadir Trust case.”
