ISLAMABAD
\nThe Supreme Court of Pakistan Thursday declared arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan illegal and asked him to appear before Islamabad High Court tomorrow (Friday).
\nSupreme Court of Pakistan also asked Imran Khan to obey the IHC orders whatever that be. The directives were issued by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial as the court resumed hearing the former prime minister\u2019s plea against his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
\nThe Supreme Court also asked Imran Khan to condemn the violence that has been ensued after his arrest in the country and asked his supporters to remain peaceful. When the hearing resumed, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial told Khan, \u201cit is good to see you.\u201d \u201cWe believe that Imran Khan\u2019s arrest was illegal,\u201d remarked the CJP.
\nCJP Bandial said that the IHC should hear the case tomorrow. \u201cYou will have to accept whatever the high court decides,\u201d he added. The CJP said that it is every politician\u2019s responsibility to ensure law and order.
\nIn response, the PTI chief, through the media present in the courtroom, forwarded a message to his supporters that they should refrain from damaging public and private property. \u201cThe court will issue an appropriate order today,\u201d the CJP said during the hearing, adding that the court was \u201cvery serious\u201d about the matter.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t want any loss in the country nor do I wish for people to get incited. I just want free and fair elections,\u201d the PTI chief told the court, pleading with the court that despite his responding to the National Accountability Bureau\u2019s (NAB) notices, he was arrested.
\nIn response to the court\u2019s question about whether he knew what was going on in Pakistan, Khan \u2014 who became the first prime minister to be ousted from office through a no-confidence vote in April last year \u2014 said his mobile phone was taken away and he was unaware about what was happening in the country.
\nThen the PTI chief requested the CJP to send him home, but the top judge said he was not going to do that and assured him that he would \u201cremain at peace at the Police Lines Guest House\u201d.
\n\u201cYou can stay there, talk, rest, and then present yourself before the Islamabad High Court tomorrow,\u201d CJP told Khan. The CJP then directed authorities to allow Khan to meet as many as 10 people \u2014 including his lawyers, friends, and family members.
\nPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been presented before the Supreme Court on the top judge\u2019s orders after his party challenged his arrest. The former prime minister was taken inside the court via the judges\u2019 gate.
\nThe Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the authorities to produce PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the court within an hour. The apex court ordered the Islamabad inspector general of police to implement the court order and bring the former prime minister into the courtroom at 4:30 pm today.
\nThe court also directed that no other PTI activist will accompany Imran Khan. Security has been beefed up outside the apex court, with contingents of the Rangers and police, and bomb disposal squads called in. Only lawyers and journalists already present in courtroom number 1 \u2014 where the hearing will be held \u2014 are allowed inside the room.
\nIslamabad DIG (security) has reached the court to review the security situation. Meanwhile, the PTI has asked its supporters to stay away from the top court. The Supreme Court has started hearing the petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan against his arrest at 2pm today.
\nA three-judge SC bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah is hearing the petition. At the outset of the hearing, Imran\u2019s lawyer Hamid Khan told the court that his client came to the Islamabad High Court to get bail in the NAB case.
\nHe was getting his biometrics done when the Rangers broke down the door and windows and arrested him. Imran was abused and tortured upon arrest, he added. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that according to the record, the case that was fixed was probably another, adding that according to the court order, the bail application was filed but not fixed.
\nJustice Athar Minullah remarked that Imran had entered the court premises. He was summoned in one case and another case was being filed. \u201cThe question is, can the right of access to justice be denied? Can someone be deprived of the right to justice? Would it not have been appropriate, if the NAB had sought permission from the registrar? Why did the NAB take the law into its own hands,\u201d Justice Minallah remarked.
\nChief Justice Bandial remarked that it\u2019s a matter of the respect of the judiciary. He said that once the NAB had arrested an accused from the parking lot of the Supreme Court, but the court reversed the arrest and took action against the NAB. Nine officers were saved from contempt of court after getting assurances from the NAB, the top judge added.
\nThe CJP inquired how many people came to arrest Imran Khan. Lawyer Salman Safdar said that around 80 to 100 people came to arrest the PTI leader. The chief justice observed that panic spread with the entry of 100 people into the court premises.
\n\u201cWhat dignity remains of the court if 90 people entered its premises? How can any individual be arrested from court premises?\u201d he asked. The Chief Justice remarked that the court will examine the compliance of the warrant, and not its legal status.
\nJustice Minallah said that the process of surrendering before the court could not be sabotaged. Salman Safdar Advocate said that Imran was attacked and the security was also withdrawn even though the PTI chief was on the radar of terrorists. Justice Minallah remarked that the court will only examine the right of access to justice.
\nAdvocate Safdar said that the investigation officer of NAB was not even present at the time of arrest. Imran was brought from the judges\u2019 gates and Asad Umar was arrested from the Islamabad High Court, the lawyer said adding that after the arrest of Imran it was found out that his arrest warrants were issued on May 1.
\nHe went on to say that the interior secretary himself told the court that the warrant had not yet been received for execution. Justice Minallah observed that the NAB has been doing such things with the elected representatives for many years, it is high time these activities of NAB were ended.
\nChief Justice Bandial said that what happened should have been stopped by the arrest, it does not mean that illegal measures can be ignored. \u201cWe want to give such decision that will apply to every citizen. Every accused has access to justice,\u201d the chief justice remarked, adding that the district court of Mianwali has been attacked today.
\nFind out who did it. It is very painful to hear about the attack on the district court, he ordered. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar inquired whether the notices of NAB were answered. To which, Imran\u2019s lawyer replied in the affirmative, saying that the NAB notices were answered.
\nHe said according to the law, arrest cannot be made at the level of inquiry and after the completion of the inquiry, the report must be given to the lawyer of the accused. Justice Mazhar asked whether Imran was involved in the investigation.
\nLawyer Shoaib Shaheen said that Imran had sent the reply to the notice to the watchdog, adding that the notice of the NAB was illegal. Justice Minallah observed that the real problem is not the issuance of warrant, rather the issue is how the warrant has been executed.
\nJustice Mazhar noted that the NAB warrant was not challenged by Imran Khan. Justice Minallah remarked that everyone talks about following the law, but no one obeys it himself. It is clear that Imran did not follow the NAB notice, the judge said.
\nNAB Prosecutor General Asghar Haider appeared in the court and said that he respects the judiciary a lot. On this, Justice Minallah remarked that the NAB has not learned any lesson. He said that the anti-graft watchdog has been accused of many things including political engineering. He asked whether the NAB has got permission from the registrar for the arrest.
\nThe NAB prosecutor told the court that a letter was written to the Ministry of Interior to comply with the warrants, and they implemented it. Justice Minallah asked: \u201cDid the Ministry of Interior implement it in the court room?\u201d
\nOn this, the NAB prosecutor said, \u201cI do not know the facts, I have been appointed at 1:30pm today\u201d. Justice Minallah inquired of the prosecutor if the NAB asked for Imran\u2019s arrest from inside the court. How many notices were issued to Imran Khan, the judge asked?
\nOn this, he said that only one notice was issued to Imran. Justice Minallah remarked that apparently the NAB\u2019s warrant is not according to the law, did NAB try to arrest Imran Khan after the warrant was issued?
\nChief Justice Bandial remarked, \u201cthe warrant was issued on the 1st and the arrest was made on the 9th of May. Why did the NAB not try on its own for 8 days? Did NAB want to arrest Imran from the court? Why was the letter written to the Interior Ministry on May 8?\u201d
\nJustice Minallah said that why NAB did not write to the Punjab government to comply with the warrant? He said that the NAB has destroyed the country a lot. On this, the NAB officer said that look at Imran\u2019s conduct, he had resisted in the past, NAB was also afraid of loss of lives.
\nThe Chief Justice said, \u201cAccording to you, the method of arrest warrant was decided by the federal government itself. Was any officer of NAB present at the time of arrest? Who arrested Imran Khan?\u201d
\nImran\u2019s lawyer said that according to Islamabad IG, he complied with the warrant. The NAB prosecutor said that the police had complied with the warrant as per the court order. The Chief Justice observed that according to the court order, the police were monitoring the proceedings?
\nThe advocate general said that the arrest was made by the Rangers under the police. Earlier, additional documents related to Imran Khan\u2019s arrest have been submitted to the Supreme Court. A copy of the NAB call-up notice and a letter written to the NAB DG have been submitted to the Supreme Court.
\nApart from this, the writ petition and affidavit filed against the NAB chairman have also been submitted to the court. It has been stated in the petition that Imran was illegally arrested during biometric verification. His lawyers Gohar Ali and Ali Bukhari were mistreated during the arrest. The poisonous spray was thrown on the eyes of his lawyers.
\nThe petition beseeches that the additional document be made part of the record for the requirements of justice. The application was submitted on Thursday by Mahboob Alam Gujjar Advocate, seeking Imran Khan\u2019s release and an order for launching an investigation into the PTI chief\u2019s arrest.
\nOn Wednesday, Imran Khan\u2019s lawyers submitted a petition to the Supreme Court seeking annulment of the IHC verdict declaring the former premier\u2019s arrest as legal. Supreme Court Registrar had allotted a number to Imran Khan\u2019s petition yesterday, however, it was not fixed for hearing yet.
\nEarlier, Fawad Chaudhry\u2019s wife Hiba Chaudhry was prevented from entering the Supreme Court and police refused to issue her an entry pass. Hiba said that her husband is the petitioner of today\u2019s hearing and requested the police to let her in. But the police refused to grant her the entry pass, triggering an argument between Hiba and the police.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD The Supreme Court of Pakistan Thursday declared arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan illegal and asked him to appear before Islamabad High Court tomorrow (Friday). Supreme Court of Pakistan also asked Imran Khan to obey the IHC orders whatever that be. The directives were issued by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":330547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-330567","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n