ISLAMABAD -UNS: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday barred authorities from arresting PTI Chairman Imran Khan in cases — including those that are undisclosed — registered across the country until Monday (May 15).
The court also granted protective bail to the former prime minister in three terrorism cases registered against him in Lahore and the Zille Shah murder case.
Earlier in the day, a separate IHC bench accepted Imran’s bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case for two weeks, a day after the Supreme Court termed his arrest “invalid and unlawful”. It also stopped authorities from arresting the PTI chief till May 17 in any case registered in Islamabad after May 9.
A division bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz granted Imran two-week bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case, in which he was whisked away by Rangers from IHC premises on May 9.
The PTI chief’s bail plea was conducted in courtroom No.2. The detailed order in the case is awaited.
During the hearing, Justice Aurangzeb asked Imran if he condemned the violence that ensued after his arrest, to which the PTI chief’s lawyer replied in the affirmative. The judge then asked the ex-premier to submit a declaration in court stating the same.
The hearing had initially begun after a nearly two-hour delay with media reporting that officials were conducting a security sweep outside the courtroom.
But it was halted shortly after it began at 1pm on account of Friday prayers. On the other hand, Geo News reported that judges had left the courtroom after “pro-Imran” slogans were raised.
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 National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) actions were illegal. He said that NAB could only issue an arrest warrant after an inquiry had formally been turned into an investigation.
He said that the PTI got to know through media reports that NAB had formally initiated an investigation against Imran. Haris also said that PTI chief had approached the IHC on May 9 seeking the NAB report in the inquiry but 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 instead submitted a written reply. Haris further said that the accountability watchdog was “biased” at the moment.
