By Naveed Naqvi
ISLAMABAD: A special court on Wednesday granted the anti-graft National Accountability Bureau (NAB) an 8-day physical custody of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a land scam case worth millions of dollars.
Khan was apprehended on Tuesday by paramilitary troops who forcibly entered a courthouse in Islamabad to arrest him on multiple corruption charges, including the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Initially, the NAB had requested a 14-day physical remand for the former premier, but the court decided to grant remand for 8 days.
Khan’s legal counsel objected to the request, arguing that the case did not fall under the jurisdiction of the NAB. The lawyer further emphasized that the bureau had not shared the inquiry report.
The Al-Qadir Trust, established by Khan and his third wife Bushra Bibi in 2018 during his tenure as prime minister, is a non-governmental welfare organization.
The trust operates a spiritual and Islamic teachings university located outside Islamabad, inspired by the former first lady, who is renowned as a spiritual healer.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah alleged that the trust was a front for Khan to obtain valuable land as a bribe from prominent real estate developer Malik Riaz Hussain, one of Pakistan’s wealthiest and most influential businessmen.
According to the minister, the trust owns nearly 60 acres of land valued at approximately seven billion rupees ($24.7 million).
Early in the day, Khan was brought to the Police Lines Guest House in Islamabad, where Judge Mohammad Bashir presided over the hearing.
The NAB’s prosecutor informed the court that the chief of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf party was presented with the arrest warrant at the time of his detention.
However, Khan stated in court that he was shown the warrant when he was taken to the bureau’s office, not at the time of his arrest.
Khan also urged the judges to summon his team of doctors, specifically Dr. Faisal, as he claimed to have been denied access to the washroom for 24 hours.
Previously, a police spokesman had stated that Khan would not be transported to court, and his scheduled hearing would take place at the current location where he is in custody.
In a separate development, an Islamabad court has indicted Khan in the Toshakhana case.
Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, Khan’s lawyer, revealed that his client has been indicted in a case related to the sale of state gifts, commonly known as the Toshakhana reference.
Marwat informed the media that they have boycotted the court proceedings, and Khan has refused to sign the documents.
Marwat said the legal team requested the transfer of the case to another judge, but the request was denied, and the court proceeded with the indictment process.
During the legal proceedings at the high-security Police Lines Headquarters in Islamabad, where Khan has been detained since his arrest, clashes erupted between approximately 500 of his supporters and the police near the Srinagar Highway.
The protesters threw stones, leading the police to respond with tear gas shelling.
Additional police forces were called in to disperse the protesters, who had blocked the road, causing traffic disruptions.
Meanwhile, the PTI party filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the ruling of the Islamabad High Court judge who declared the legality of the former premier’s arrest.
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