Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case has been declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The court termed the arrest a “mighty disgrace” to the country’s judicial establishment and directed the authorities to ensure “immediate release” of Khan after terming his arrest as unlawful, media reports said.
The top court also directed the former Prime Minister to approach the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Dawn reported.
The directives were issued by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Ata Bandial, as the court resumed hearing the former premier’s plea against his arrest.
The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial heard the PTI’s petition challenging Khan’s arrest. The bench included Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar.
At the start of the hearing, Khan’s lawyer, Hamid Khan, informed the court that Khan had gone to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to secure an extension of his interim bail. While Khan was getting his biometric verification done, Rangers personnel broke into the room and arrested him. “The Rangers misbehaved with Imran Khan and arrested him,” the lawyer added.
The court inquired about the case in which Khan was seeking bail extension, and the lawyer clarified that Khan went for biometric verification because a plea cannot be filed before that. Justice Minallah questioned whether a plea could be filed before biometric verification was conducted.
“Why did the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) take the law into its hand? It would have been better for NAB to seek permission from the IHC registrar,” Justice Minallah said, according to Geo News.
The directive to present Khan before the court came after the CJP deemed Khan’s arrest from the IHC premises as a “mighty disgrace.” The PTI had challenged the arrest in court.
The Supreme Court’s decision comes amid mounting political tensions in Pakistan, with the opposition accusing Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government of stifling dissent and cracking down on political opponents.
The Al-Qadir Trust case involves allegations of illegal appointments and embezzlement of funds. The NAB had arrested Imran Khan in connection with the case on May 7. The PTI had claimed that Khan was not named in the original investigation report and that the arrest was politically motivated.
The court’s decision is a major setback for the government and a victory for the PTI. It remains to be seen how the government will respond to the court’s ruling and whether Khan will face further legal action in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
