ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, who is facing multiple cases, appeared before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad ahead of his appearance before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). will £190 million settlement case in Rawalpindi office, today (Tuesday).
The former prime minister will also go to Islamabad High Court for extension of bail.
Imran Khan left for the federal capital along with his wife Bushra Bibi this morning. Sources said the former first lady is likely to apply for bail in the Accountability Court to avoid arrest in the £190 million settlement case. The Lahore High Court had granted his protective bail till May 23 in this case.
Meanwhile, Khan will apply to the ATC — housed in the same judicial complex as the accountability court — for bail in seven different cases, he added.
Khan is accompanied by a legal team consisting of Salman Safdar, Khawaja Haris, Intizar Panjotha, Gohar Ali Khan and Ali Ijaz.
Ahead of the PTI chief’s arrival, tight security arrangements have been made at the judicial complex and the NAB office and heavy police force has been deployed there to deal with any untoward incident.
It should be noted that the former prime minister, who was deposed through a no-confidence vote in April last year, has expressed the possibility of re-arrest today.
Khan was summoned by the anti-graft watchdog in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into a £190 million coffee settlement from the UK.
In response to NAB’s summons, Imran Khan submitted a written reply to the anti-graft watchdog, expressing his willingness to comply. He confirmed his availability in the capital, Islamabad, on May 23, expressed his intention to pursue several pre-arrest bails and confirmed that he “will be asked by the courts to join the investigation by 11 am.” will be free.”
Notably, Khan also sought the inquiry report which was provided to him by NAB after his arrest. According to the former prime minister, he left the report while incarcerated in Police Lines Rest House.
On May 18, the PTI chief failed to appear at the NAB office in Rawalpindi for the same case. In a comprehensive five-page written reply, Khan informed the body that he was in Lahore, busy seeking bail in various cases, which hampered his availability to join the ongoing investigation.
Khan’s arrest from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises on May 9 in the same case sparked violent protests across the country. As a result of the violence, at least eight people were killed and many injured. Authorities responded quickly, arresting thousands of PTI activists in an attempt to restore order.
The chaos was not limited to the streets, as civil and military installations also faced attacks. In particular, the General Headquarters (GHQ) and Corps Commander’s House (Jinah House) in Lahore suffered violence following Khan’s arrest.
However, the Supreme Court ordered his release on May 11 and directed him to appear before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) the next day.
Both the army and the government have pledged to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on military installations under the Pakistan Army Act, the Official Secrets Act and other laws.
The case
The PTI chairman is facing allegations of corruption worth billions of rupees in a case related to a property tycoon.
Khan — along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders — is facing an NAB inquiry into a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which allegedly cost the national exchequer £190 million. reached.
According to the charges, Khan and other accused allegedly adjusted 50 billion rupees – £190 million at the time – sent to the Pakistani government by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of a deal with the property tycoon. .
He is also accused of obtaining illegal benefits in the form of more than 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa for the establishment of Al-Qadir University.
During the PTI government, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) seized assets worth 190 million pounds of property tycoons in the UK.
The agency said the assets would be transferred to the government of Pakistan and that the settlement with the Pakistani property tycoon was “a civil matter, and does not indicate criminality”.
Subsequently, the then Prime Minister Khan got approval from his Cabinet on 3 December 2019 for a settlement with the UK Crime Agency, without disclosing details of the secret deal.
It was decided that the money would be deposited in the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.
Then, weeks after the PTI-led government approved the deal with the property tycoon, Al-Qadir Trust was set up in Islamabad.
PTI leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi and their close friend Farah Khan were appointed members of the trust.
Two to three months after the cabinet’s approval, the property tycoon transferred 458 kanals of land to Bukhari, a close aide of the PTI chief, who later transferred it to the trust.
Later, Bukhari and Awan were chosen as trustees. That trust is now registered in the names of Khan, Bushra Bibi and Farah.
NAB officials were earlier investigating the alleged misuse of powers in the recovery process of “dirty money” received from the UK crime agency.
After “irrefutable evidence” emerged in the case, the inquiry was turned into an investigation.
According to NAB officials, Khan and his wife acquired land worth billions of rupees from a property tycoon, to build an educational institution, in return for which the UK’s crime agency signed an agreement to provide legal protection to the property tycoon’s black money.
