The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s bail plea in the Al-Qadir Trust case later today at 2pm.
A division bench headed by Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb will preside over the hearing.
The case alleges that the PTI chief and his wife, Bushra Bibi, obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from a real estate firm for legalising Rs50 billion that was identified and returned to the country by the UK during the previous PTI government.
Imran was whisked away from the IHC premises by paramilitary forces on May 9, leading to violent protests across the country. The PTI chief had immediately approached the IHC for release but it had declared his arrest legal.
Imran had then approached the Supreme Court, which on May 11, termed his arrest “invalid and unlawful” and directed him to appear before the IHC the next day.
Subsequently, the IHC had granted Imran bail in the case for two weeks and stopped authorities from arresting the PTI chief till May 17 in any case registered in Islamabad after May 9.
On May 17, the IHC had extended its order to prevent Imran’s arrest in cases filed against him after May 9 until May 31.
The IHC will also hear two other petitions concerning Imran today, one of which is a bail plea regarding the violation of Section 144.
The other is a writ petition seeking a bar on Islamabad police from arresting Imran in any case registered after May 9. These two petitions will be heard after the bail plea in the Al-Qadir Trust case at 2:30pm.
Meanwhile, an Islamabad accountability court will also take up the bail plea Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Last week, she had been granted bail till May 31 (today).
Accountability judge Mohammad Bashir will preside over the hearing.
Islamabad police says Section 144 still in place
Strict security arrangements will be in place during the hearings. A heavy police contingent will be deployed outside the IHC premises and the Federal Judicial Complex.
Furthermore, only those with special passes will be allowed to enter the courtroom.
Separately, Islamabad police reminded the public that Section 144 (ban on public gatherings exceeding four persons) was still in force.
“No political activity is allowed in high security zone/Red Zone,” the police force said on Twitter.
Imran questions NAB action sans probe into Bahria owner
Last week, Imran had questioned the credibility of the NAB probe in the Al-Qadir Trust case, pointing out the accountability watchdog’s failure to take action against Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz.
He made the remarks in his response to a call-up as he and Bushra Bibi joined the proceedings in the Al Qadir Trust case at NAB Rawalpindi’s office.
In a written reply, Imran also shifted responsibility on his former accountability aide Shahzad Akbar for making a secret deal with the property tycoon.
According to the reply, it was a misconception that the retrieved amount of £190m was not deposited in the national treasury. NAB grilled Imran for about four hours at its office and asked him to bring records along at the next hearing. Sources said that Imran’s reply was also termed “unsatisfactory” by NAB officials.
In his response about the money received from the UK, Imran stated, “It got deposited after conversion into PKR in the account opened in the name of Registrar Supreme Court of Pakistan…[if] the amount transferred constitutes ‘illegitimate amount’ and that Bahria Town is the beneficiary, thereof, it is indeed strange that till date you appear not to have taken any punitive measures against the owners of BTLK [Bahria Town] or applied to the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan for the recovery of the said amount on the ground that it is illegitimate money.”
He stated that since he was not aware of the settlement between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Malik Riaz, he relied upon the briefing of Shahzad Akbar that “the amount was to be repatriated to Pakistan against the liability of respondents [Bahria Town].”
He said that the issue did not come under discussion in the cabinet.
“Shahzad Akbar got the deed of confidentiality approved from the cabinet on Dec 3, 2019. However, I am not aware of any other deed of confidentiality that may have been signed by SAPM Shahzad Akbar on Nov 06, 2019. As regard the allegations that in the deed of confidentiality stately signed on Nov 6, the designated account for adjustment of liability of BTLK was malafiedly intimated to the NCA UK for transfer of funds instead of repatriation of the recovered amount to the State of Pakistan, in order to give and obtain material benefit, I reiterate that I am not aware of any deed of confidentiality… nor was I privy to or have participated in providing any designated account to the NCA for repatriation of the funds from UK to the state of Pakistan,” he said.
fromThe Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/dQGlhTK
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