File photo. Farooq Naeem—AFP
A two-member special division bench on Friday granted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan two weeks’ bail in the Al-Qadir trust case, a day after the Supreme Court had termed “unlawful” the former prime minister’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Justices Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Saman Rafat Imtiaz comprised the bench, which was formed specifically to hear the bail plea. It also barred authorities from arresting the PTI chief from the federal capital, until May 17, in any new case registered against him during the days he was in NAB custody. Justice Aurangzeb further directed the state to ensure Khan’s security, adding that the former prime minister should give a clear declaration that he condemns everything that occurred in riots triggered by his arrest earlier this week. Separately, the IHC further granted Khan blanket bail in any cases till May 17, including any that have yet to be registered against him or he is unaware of, in what has been described by legal observers as judicial overreach.
Upon his arrival to the IHC amidst heavy security, Khan was immediately taken for his biometrics to initiate the process for securing bail. Prior to the commencement of the hearing, one of Khan’s lawyers—Faisal Chaudhry—had expressed the hope that bail would be granted. Khan was arrested from the IHC premises by paramilitary forces on Tuesday, triggering violent protests nationwide. The PTI had immediately approached the court for Khan’s release, but it had declared his arrest legal.
As the hearing commenced, Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris presented the PTI chief’s pre-arrest and protective bail applications. “We have asked for a copy of the inquiry report in another application,” he said, adding NAB should be ordered to provide a copy of the inquiry report. He further argued that the PTI had only found out about the inquiry report from the media, adding that arrest warrants could be issued only if an inquiry turned into an investigation.
“The reason mentioned in the arrest warrants stated that Khan did not appear before NAB despite repeated notices; however, as soon as the investigation started, an attempt was made to arrest him,” he maintained. 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. The court then instructed the NAB prosecutor general and Khan’s lawyers to be prepared at the next hearing, saying that it would then decide if the PTI chief’s bail should be cancelled or extended.
Ahead of today’s hearing, hundreds of police and paramilitary troops were deployed around the IHC and its surrounding area, blocking it for traffic, to ensure security.
The Al-Qadir Trust case concerns a NAB inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, which reportedly caused a loss of roughly Rs. 50 billion to the national exchequer. The inquiry alleges that Khan and his co-accused adjusted the sum sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government in exchange for getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals of land to establish the Al-Qadir University.