ISLAMABAD: Justice Athar Minallah of the Supreme Court questioned why the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) took the law ‘into its own hands’ to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court will hear the PTI’s appeal against Imran’s arrest.
The case is being heard by a three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial. Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Athar Minallah are also on the bench.
Imran’s lawyer, Hamid Khan, informed the court that the former prime minister had appeared at the IHC to obtain bail in the NAB case, and that the Rangers had arrived while Imran was having his biometrics taken. He went on to say that the PTI chief was apprehended by Rangers who broke down doors and windows.
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“Imran Khan was mistreated and arrested violently.” “Obtaining biometrics is part of the legal process,” he insisted.
According to court orders, the bail application was filed but not fixed, according to the CJP. He inquired whether, according to the record, the case scheduled was for another matter.
Justice Minallah inquired whether the application had been filed prior to the biometrics, to which the lawyer replied that the application could not have been filed without the biometrics.
He mentioned that one case had been called to court while the other was being filed.
Justice Minallah questioned whether the right to seek justice could be waived. He also inquired whether it would not have been “appropriate to seek permission from the NAB registrar.”
He also questioned why the accountability bureau decided to take the law into its own hands.
The PTI had filed a petition in the Supreme Court the day before, challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) ruling that party chief Imran Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on May 9 was “legal.”
Following Imran’s arrest, which sparked nationwide protests, PTI Vice Chairperson Shah Mahmood Qureshi convened an emergency meeting of a seven-member party committee to assess the situation and devise a comprehensive strategy to secure the former premier’s safe and early release.
On Wednesday, the PTI’s legal team, led by Fawad Chaudhry, petitioned the Supreme Court, requesting that the court vacate the order issued by the IHC chief justice in the aftermath of the arrest.
“…Leave to appeal may please be granted against the impugned order 09-05-2023 passed by Hon’ble IHC […] may be set aside and further after hearing the parties the warrant dated 01-05-2023 issued by Chairman NAB [National Accountability Bureau] may be declared void and further be directed to release the petitioner/accused forthwith in the interest of justice,” it said.
