Imran Khan, former prime minister of Pakistan, was apprehended by law enforcement on Tuesday outside the Islamabad High Court where he was present for the hearings of two unrelated cases.
News agency PTI reported a dramatic scene in which paramilitary Rangers shattered a glass window and nabbed Khan amidst his biometric processing at the court. The arrest involved clashes with attorneys and Khan's security personnel.
In a statement, Inspector General of Police Islamabad (IG) Akbar Nasir Khan revealed that Imran was apprehended in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case. Allegedly, Imran and his spouse received "billions of rupees from a property firm to legalize a laundered sum of Rs50 billion," reports Dawn.
Rangers abducted PTI Chairman Imran Khan, these are the visuals. Pakistan's brave people must come out and defend their country. pic.twitter.com/hJwG42hsE4
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 9, 2023
Despite the unrest, the IG assured the situation in Islamabad was "normal" and that Section 144 was enforced in the city.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah informed the media that Khan was detained for his repeated no-shows in court despite multiple notices.
“The National Accountability Bureau has executed the arrest due to losses inflicted upon the national treasury," he stated.
Unravelling the Al-Qadir Trust case
According to Dawn, Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders are under National Accountability Bureau (NAB) scrutiny for allegedly accepting Rs5 billion and vast tracts of land from Bahria Town, a real estate company based in Islamabad, in return for safeguarding the company in a money laundering investigation.
The land was reportedly donated to Al-Qadir Trust, a non-profit organization aiming to establish a university.
Notably, the trust only had two trustees: Imran and Bushra Bibi. The allegations suggest that this deal led to a £190 million loss to the national treasury.
Last June, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah announced the creation of a committee to investigate these accusations against Khan. He pointed out that "Bahria Town had unlawfully transferred Rs50 billion to a Pakistani national in the UK, who was later caught by the British National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA then informed the PTI government about the laundered money."
Imran Khan's lawyer badly injured inside the premises of IHC. Black day for our democracy and country. pic.twitter.com/iQ8xWsXln7
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 9, 2023
Sanaullah stated that "Imran Khan assigned his frontman Shahzad Akbar to resolve the money laundering case. Akbar settled the entire case, and the Rs50 billion (£190 million at the time), which was state property and belonged to the national treasury, was adjusted against Bahria Town's liability in a case being heard in the Supreme Court."
He claimed that Imran and his wife received money through Akbar.
Dawn also reported that an arrest warrant for Khan was issued on May 1, as he is "charged with corruption and corrupt practices under Section 9(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999."
How are Khan's supporters responding?
Fawad Chaudhry, a close associate of Khan and a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed his outrage on Twitter.
He claimed that Khan was "kidnapped from the court premises" and numerous lawyers and civilians were abused.
The PTI's official Twitter account posted a video depicting Khan's capture by paramilitary personnel, along with another video featuring Khan's lawyer who was allegedly injured at the Islamabad High Court.
While Khan's arrest sparked protests across multiple Pakistani cities, PTI Secretary General Asad Umar revealed plans for a six-member party committee to devise further actions.
