MA JOR RELIEF FOR IMRAN: IHC BARS PTI CHIEF’S ARREST IN ‘ANY CASE’ TILL MAY 17
ISLAMABAD
S TA F F R E P O R T
TH E Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday barred the authorities from arresting former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan till May 17 , in all cases registered in Islamabad, including those “undisclosed registered across the country after May 9 ”
The IHC also granted protective bail to the former prime minister in three terrorism cases registered against him in Lahore and the Zille Shah murder case
According to details, a division bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz on Friday granted PTI Chairman PTI Imran Khan two-week interim bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case, a day after the Supreme Court declared his arrest from the IHC premises “invalid and unlawful”
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had formed a “special” bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz to hear Khan s bail plea
The IHC division bench heard the PTI chief ’s bail plea at courtroom No 2 The legal of team of Imran Khan had also filed four additional pleas which urged the IHC to club all the cases against Imran and direct authorities to provide details of the cases registered against him
The hearing of cases begun after nearly two-hour delay with media reporting that officials were conducting a secu-
rity sweep outside the courtroom But they were halted shortly after they began at 1pm on account of Friday prayers
When the hearing resumed after 2:30pm, Imran was present in the courtroom
alongside his legal team and his lawyer Khawaja Haris presented his arguments Haris contended before the court that the action undertaken by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was illegal
He argued the NAB could only issue an arrest warrant after the inquiry had formally been turned into an investigation He said that the PTI had gotten to know that NAB had formally initiated an investigation against Imran through media reports He also said that PTI chief had approached the IHC on May 9 seeking the NAB report in the inquiry, but he was arrested before he could enter the courtroom At one point during the hearing the court asked the petitioner if he was provided a questionnaire in connection with the case to which Haris replied in negative He said that Imran was issued a callup notice which he did not appear for, but submitted a written reply instead Haris further said that the accountability watchdog was “biased” at the moment The court also instructed the NAB prosecutor general and Imran s lawyers to be prepared at the next hearing, saying that it would then decide if Imran s bail should be cancelled or extended
C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03
Cour t suspends Toshakhana case proceedings
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended the proceedings of the trial court in Toshakhana case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Supremo Imran Khan IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the PTI plea seeking transfer of the Toshakhana case to another court Counsel for the petition – Khawaja Haris appeared before the court During the hearing Imran Khan’s counsel said he had four different applications adding that the ECP secretary was not authorized to send the Toshakhana case to the trial court He said the ECP did not follow the law by sending the complaint adding that the complaint could not be sent after the lapse of the set time period The IHC chief justice also commented on the security measures taken outside the high court ahead of Imran Khan s appearance in another case saying: It seems curfew has been imposed Mr Harris, later, pleaded with the chief justice to issue a stay order on proceedings in the Toshakhana case The IHC accepted the plea, ruling that the trial will remain suspended until the PTI plea is decided by it Later, the case was adjourned till June 8 S TA F F R E P O R T
PM condemns allegations of Imran Niazi against army chief
S TA F F R E P O R T
DG -ISPR br ushes aside
‘impression about imposition of mar tial law ’
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the allegations of Imran Khan against the army chief
This statement was a confession of the mastermind of the tragic incidents of May 9, he added The PM said this was the same mentality which levelled false allegations of his murder against the patriotic army officers and concocted false stories of cypher and foreign conspiracy This is expression of real intentions of the anti state mastermind of the terrorists This is confession that whatever happened on May 9 was done on the directions of Imran Niazi," he added The prime minister said this statement was proof that Imran Niazi was behind the plan to desecrate the monuments of martyrs and ghazis and attacks on sensitive installations and buildings
“There is absolutely no truth in rumours Despite conspiracies from miscreants within and enemies without the army was united stands united and would remain united under the command of Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir The dream to divide the army would never materialise ” the DG-ISPR told media
He also contradicted rumours of resignations by army officers, saying that none of the army officers had resigned or disobeyed the orders of the high command
The DG-ISPR further said that there was no possibility of imposition of martial law in the country
I want to say that General Asim Munir and the senior leadership under his command fully support democratic order in the country and they would keep doing so The question of martial law doesn t even arise he concluded
The remarks come a day after
needed, he warned
Amid ‘bickering’, federal cabinet fails to evolve consensus on banning PTI
While disapproving what he called double standards of justice being meted out to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the coalition would take every step to ensure rule of law in the country Chairing the meeting of the federal cabinet he said other political leaders in the country faced trials and tough handling, while Imran Khan was given a privileged treatment
“These are the double standards of justice,” he said and expressed astonishment over the remarks of the Chief Justice of Pakistan during yesterday’s hearing where he said that he was pleased to meet Imran Khan PM Shehbaz pointed out that thousands of cases by the general public were pending with the courts while some political figures were given specially favour of bail on a priority basis
The prime minister said the judiciary earlier also protected Imran Khan in his corruption cases including the Bus Rapid Transit Project (BRT) Billion Tree Tsunami tree plantation and Malam Jabba development projects had solid proofs of corruption by PTI but the cases were not pursued
The PM said Imran Khan was part of an agenda to bring “fascist rule in the country for 10 years ”
“May 9 after the debacle of December 16 1971 was a painful day in the country s history when Imran Khan s party unleashed havoc by attacking national and military installations , he pointed out
The premier recalled that despite the tragedy of the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto, his husband raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khappay’ meaning ‘We want Pakistan’ as a great gesture of nationalism Also nobody hit the military installations even after the judicial murder of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto he added Shehbaz Sharif recalled that at the time of the death of their mother, he was in prison but passed the time with patience rather than inciting the public for riots
He said Imran Khan was the mastermind and planner behind the attacks on military institutions He termed it a disgrace to the martyred military personnel who sacrificed their lives for the motherland
He said the country was passing through a difficult time and the coalition government was making efforts to address the inherited challenges
He lambasted the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf to push the country toward the brink of a dangerous situation He recalled that the PTI chief for months made false and shameless claims about his ouster from the rule through regime change by the United States Shehbaz Sharif said the coalition government made tireless efforts to mend relations with the U S in a diplomatic manner while Imran Khan ultimately changed his stance against the U S
He pointed out that besides maneuvering the situation with International Monetary Fund Khan made every effort for the country to be declared a default
He said Imran Khan incurred every possible damage to the very fabric of society by promoting hatred and intolerance
the top court came to Imran Khan s rescue as it declared his arrest by the country’s top graft-buster from the premises of the IHC illegal and directed immediate release of the PTI chief
Dozens of troops of paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday broke into an office of the IHC and whisked Imran Khan away in an armoured vehicle in a whirlwind raid while executing the arrest warrant issued against the former premier by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the AlQadir Trust case
The PTI on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court against Imran’s arrest as violent protests erupted across the country after the development protests that involved attacks on security personnel and arson of military and civil properties
I: Pakistan People s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) reportedly opposed the proposal to ban Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as political party
In a recent development, sources have revealed that the federal cabinet failed to reach a consensus as several federal ministers recommended imposing ban on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf including measures such as a ban on public gatherings and freeze on party activities
His anger against General Syed Asim Munir was that he as Director General ISI was aware about the worst corruption of Imran Niazi, his wife, Farah Gogi and senior leadership of PTI he said adding allegations against the highly decorated General Syed Asim Munir who was very admired in the rank and file and was appointed on merit was nothing but ill-intentioned he stressed The PM said Imran Niazi was afraid of the winner of the sword of honour, Hafiz e Quran and honest army chief P D M t o s t a g e p r o t e s t i n f r o n t o f S C o n M o n d a y
ISLAMABAD
Shortly after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan interim bail for two weeks in the Al-Qadir Trust case, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Friday announced that it will stage a protest demonstration in front of the Supreme Court over its unjust behaviour
We have decided that we will protest against this behaviour As someone who is representing the PDM, I appeal to the entire nation to reach Islamabad on Monday We will stage a sit-in and protest in huge numbers ” he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad
Fazl who is also the Amir of JUI-F said that every worker of his party will participate in the protest and no one will stay at home
“If someone tried to stop us, we will reply back with clubs, slaps and punches if
warrant g F O R M E R P R E M I E R A L S O G E T S P R OT E C T I V E B A I L I N T H R E E T E R R O R I S M, Z I L L E S H A H M U R D E R C A S E S R E G I S T E R E D I N L A H O R E RAWALPINDI S TA F F R E P O R T
Fazl said that instead of making efforts to eliminate the crime the courts were instead giving protection to the culprits adding that the top court gave protection to a person who was involved in embezzlement worth
Rs60 billion
Did Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz or Faryal Talpur receive such relief? There are hooligans everywhere in the entire country and terrorists are roaming around and courts are giving them protection he said He said that the terrorists were attacking Corp Commanders residences and attacking and humiliating army installations
“Supreme Court is the mother of law, and not mother-in-law how much they want to deviate from Constitution ” he questioned
Addressing Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial Fazl said that we will not accept the decision of three judges and only the judgement of four judges was acceptable He said that terrorist was a small word
for Imran Khan as what he had done comes under sedition and rebellion “If Taliban does this it is rebellion but when this party does it is okay? We will not accept it ” he concluded
The announcement comes a day after the top court came to the rescue of Imran Khan as it declared his arrest by the country s top graft-buster from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) illegal and directed immediate release of the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) chief Dozens of troops of paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday broke into an office of the IHC and whisked Imran Khan away in an armoured vehicle in a whirlwind raid while executing the arrest warrant issued against the former premier by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the AlQadir Trust case While violent protests erupted across the country after the development protests that involved attacks on security personnel and arson of military and civil properties, the PTI
In a three-page written order, the apex court bench noted that the manner of execution of the arrest warrant – issued by the NAB chairman on May 1 in the Al-Qadir Trust case – within the premises of the Islamabad High Court against the petitioner was invalid and unlawful
The recommendations were made in response to the growing concerns over the party s alleged involvement in incidents of violence and harassment
However the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) reportedly opposed the proposed restrictions on the PTI citing concerns over freedom of expression and the right to protest
– issued by the NAB chairman on May 1 in the Al-Qadir Trust case
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ISLAMABAD S TA F F R E P O R T
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on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court against Imran’s arrest In a three-page written order the SC bench noted that the manner of execution of the arrest g H I G H C O U R T G R A N T S T W O -W E E K I N T E R I M B A I L TO I M R A N K H A N I N A L- Q A D I R T R U S T C A S E
of the Islamabad High Court against the petitioner is invalid and unlawful
Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR)
Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry Friday evening brushed aside rumours about imposition of martial law in the country and said that Pakistan army was united under command of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir
ISLAMABAD
In a statement here on Friday he said the statement of Imran Niazi against the Pakistan army was proof of his lowminded mentality