IHC directs Imran to join Al-Qadir Trust case probe

ISLAMABAD (Agencies): The Islamabad High Court has directed former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan to join the investigation of the Al-Qadir Trust case. The IHC on Saturday issued a 7-page written order on the interim bail given to Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case till May 31.

It said that if Imran Khan obstructs the investigation, the NAB can request the cancellation of the bail. The order said that the investigation officer told the court that Imran was not asked about any documents. He said several questions were asked from Imran during investigation.

In the court ruling, it was said that the Advocate General and Additional Attorney General argued that since Article 245 has been invoked, so Imran Khan could not get relief. The court said that this position of the Advocate General and Additional Attorney is aggressive, and it means that they want to usurp the fundamental rights which are the basis of a democratic and Islamic state. It cannot be imagined that a responsible government will create this obstruction in the access to justice for the citizens.

The court issued a notice to the Attorney General for Pakistan directing him to assist the court on the matter of access to the court while Article 245 is in force and it has sought his assistance on the important constitutional points.

The Islamabad High Court said that the Advocate General and the Additional Attorney General also raised the objection of the relevant forum being the accountability court. Imran Khan was presented to the high court on the orders of the Supreme Court. The objection of the Advocate General and the Additional Attorney General is not correct. The high court has the jurisdiction to hear this case under Section 561 A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the court ruling said.

Imran moves LHC to stay arrest on post May 9 cases: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday moved Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking a stay on the arrest in any cases registered against him after May 9. The application was filed on behalf of the ex-PM by Barrister Salman Safdar and Intazar Hussain Panjutha Advocate, who presented compelling arguments in support of their plea.

The petition lists the Punjab Police Inspector General (IG) and the Advocate General (AG) as parties involved in the case. It aims to challenge the legality of Imran Khan’s potential arrest in any of the newly filed cases against him. This development follows the recent ruling by the Supreme Court, which declared Imran Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Al-Qadir Trust case as illegal.