The Islamabad High Court granted interim bail to Imran Khan, the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, for two weeks in the Al-Qadir Trust case. A two-member bench was constituted to hear his plea, and the decision provides temporary relief from arrest.
In a courtroom drama that unfolded today, the proceedings in the case of an ousted premier briefly disrupted when a lawyer stood up and chanted slogans in support of his client. The division bench immediately intervened, warning that complete silence was necessary, and Justice Miangul threatened to adjourn the case if such acts persisted.
After a break for Friday prayers, the hearing resumed with Imran, the ousted premier, requesting everyone to maintain decorum. Imran alleged that an individual had planted to disrupt the proceedings earlier. However, the Advocate General Islamabad Barrister Jahangir Khan Jadoon objected and questioned Imran’s allegations.
Khwaja Haris, the lawyer representing Imran, then took over and argued that Imran requested a copy of the inquiry into the Al-Qadir Trust case, but the investigation had initiated with the intent to arrest Imran immediately. Haris stated that NAB could only convert an inquiry into an investigation if there was sufficient evidence.
The court inquired whether the PTI counsel had sent a questionnaire, but Haris replied in the negative. Haris then cited the Toshakhana case and said that the court had already declared such notices illegal.
Advocate General Islamabad Jadoon then argued that the high court could not hear a case in an area where the army had summoned under Article 245. However, the bench expressed displeasure and asked if all writ petitions should done away with due to Article 245.
The court then summoned NAB Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, who informed the bench that Imran had never appeared before the bureau. The NAB prosecutor also revealed that the former accountability czar Shahzad Akbar sent a notice but did not join the inquiry.
In the end, the court granted the PTI chief two weeks of interim bail and barred NAB from arresting Imran. The NAB prosecutor tried to speak further, but Justice Aurangzeb asked him to remain quiet, as the court had already announced the order.
