ISLAMABAD: A two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted two weeks interim bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former prime minister Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The IHC also granted bail to Imran Khan in all other cases registered against him.
The IHC bench issued the directives that Imran Khan should not be arrested in any case until May 17. The court also issued the directives that the authorities concerned ensure the security of Imran Khan. The court also asked Imran Khan to denounce all the happenings that ensued his arrest.
IHC judges Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz heard the case. Imran Khan’s counsel Khawaja Harris presented arguments in the case.
Khawaja Harris took the stand that Imran Khan was arrested while filing the bail application in the IHC. He said the NAB’s inquiry report was not received by his client and the NAB’s decision to convert an inquiry into an investigation was leaders from newspapers.
Khawaja Harris said that the NAB had been requested to provide the inquiry. After the new NAB amendment, warrants can be issued only in the investigation and on the persistent non-appearance of the accused.
He argued that the NAB converted the inquiry into an investigation but did not provide the inquiry report to his client. “We fear Imran Khan would be arrested immediately by changing the inquiry into an investigation after he leaves the court.
According to Khawaja Harris, in response to the first call-up notice of the inquiry received from NAB on March 2, they responded that the call-up notice is not in accordance with Clause E of Section 19 of the NAB Act. After this reply, NAB did not give any notice, he said.
Imran Khan’s legal team also requested the court to club all cases against Imran and direct the authorities to provide details of the registered cases against Khan.
After hearing the case, the IHC bench granted the two-week interim bail to Imran Kha.
Earlier, the two judges left the rostrum after PTI lawyers raised slogans inside the courtroom. The court expressed its indignation over the pro-Imran Khan slogans.
Earlier, Imran Khan reached the IHC in a security convoy to seek bail concerning the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The hearing took place in Courtroom No-2, where Imran Khan appeared along with his counsel Khawaja Harris, Faisal Hussain Chaudhry and two other lawyers.
Earlier, the Bomb Disposal Squad had asked people to leave Courtroom No-3 for security clearance. Unsolicited persons were whisked away from Courtroom No-3. The National Accountability Bureau team waited outside Courtroom No-3.
Multi-layered security had been put in place around the Islamabad High Court. A contingent of Punjab police had also reportedly reached the IHC with a warrant to arrest Imran Khan.
Footage aired on television channels showed stringent security arrangements outside the IHC as Imran Khan reached the court premises.
The former premier appeared in the high court a day after a three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial declared his arrest from the IHC premises “invalid and unlawful”.
Imran was bundled away from the IHC premises by Rangers’ personnel on Tuesday after he reached the court, seeking bail in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, which alleges that Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi obtained billions of rupees and the land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz.
The PTI chief, through his counsel, challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court, which termed his detention illegal.
IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq had declared that Imran Khan’s detention from the court premises was legal.
Meanwhile, the PTI has announced that Khan’s supporters would converge at the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad’s Sector G-13 to express solidarity with their leader. The party said Imran would address his supporters after his court appearance.
The PTI’s announcement comes a day after Islamabad police issued a statement stating that Section 144, which bans public gatherings, had been imposed in the capital and asked political workers not to “obstruct the legal process”.
“We request those giving calls for protests in Islamabad not to cause disturbance of peace,” the capital police said in a tweet, adding that legal action will be taken against those inciting the public.
Earlier talking to a private channel, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that police would arrest Imran again.
He said that they will arrest him again. If he gets bail from the IHC, we would wait for the revocation of his bail and arrest him again.
