Sana gives details of Imran’s arrest

ISLAMABAD:

Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

"NAB is an independent institution which is neither under the control of the government nor the latter tries to control it," Sanaullah said while addressing a news conference.

The minister categorically clarified that he did not meet the NAB chairman or any official and that the government had nothing to do with the arrest of Imran as the bureau had already issued several notices to the PTI chief in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

There were “dozens” of other cases of corruption registered against Imran, which were under trial in courts, he added.

The minister said in the Al-Qadir Trust case, about £190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) of a "property tycoon" transferred through money laundering were caught in the United Kingdom.

The UK government contacted the Pakistani authorities regarding the amount's return.

He said as per law, the amount belonged to the Pakistani nation and should have been deposited in the national exchequer. “Instead [the then adviser to the prime minister] Shahzad Akbar acting as a front-man, got formed the Al-Qadir Trust under a deal executed by him,” he claimed.

The minister said some 458-kanal of land in Sohawa and another 240-kanal in Bani Gala were registered in the name of Al-Qadir Trust.

Sanaullah said some seven to eight months ago, he had provided details of the two properties and had challenged the PTI chief to clarify if Al-Qadir Trust was not established by Imran himself to hide his corruption.

Sanaullah said the PTI chief and his wife Bushra Bibi were the only two trustees of the trust.

He said the 240-kanal of land in Bani Gala, worth around Rs5-7 billion, was registered in the name of Farah Gogi, a close friend of Imran Khan's wife, while Akbar had also taken Rs2 billion for his services.

He said instead of depositing Rs60 billion into the national treasury, the amount landed in the bank account of the Supreme Court, where the accused property tycoon was under trial. The amount was, in fact, returned to the accused in a complex manner to hoodwink the masses, he added.

Even the apex court, he said, also did not question the source of the amount and why it was returned to Pakistan by the UK.

"It is regrettable that at that time when this corruption was committed and permission was taken for Shahzad Akbar to go to the UK court and give a statement on behalf of the Pakistani government for the amount to be adjusted in the property tycoon's account, Imran Khan was instituting false corruption cases against opposition leaders, including Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and all family members of Shehbaz Sharif," he added.

On impediments to the arrest of Imran, he said lawyers had attempted to condemn the PTI chief’s arrest. “It did not befit them to try to become an obstacle in a legal process,” he said, adding that the security forces personnel present at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had executed the arrest warrants of the PTI chief in a befitting manner.

Read Imran asks PM if military officers 'above law'

Regarding the Toshakhana (gift depository) case, the minister said it was also proven that he (Imran) committed theft when false cases were being filed against former premier Nawaz Sharif and his family.

He said NAB had issued notices to the PTI chief regarding the corruption cases registered against him, directing him to appear before the bureau and become a part of the investigation.

Talking to the media, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday the law should allowed to take its course and legal matters should not be settled on roads, warning that nobody would be allowed to damage public or private property.

He said Imran was arrested as per law by executing the arrest warrants issued by NAB chairman.

He said a seven-member medical board had examined Imran, who would be produced before the court to seek his remand.

It was up to the court to either reject or accept the request for the remand and also to determine the remand period.

On reports of protests by the PTI supporters in various parts of the country, Tarar said holding protests was a fundamental right of citizens, but civilised nations kept them peaceful. He urged the people to keep their conduct as per law and the Constitution.

The law minister said Imran’s arrest was not unlawful confinement while on the contrary, the opposition leaders during his government tenure faced the worst kind of political vindictiveness.

He said during the PTI rule, opposition leaders were arrested in one case and prosecuted in another one.

The minister said the PML-N led coalition government had nothing to do with NAB. It had not interfered in its affairs rather it had streamlined the NAB laws to safeguard the rights of accused persons, he added.

Addressing a news conference, Special Assistant to the PM on Interior and Legal Affairs Attaullah Tarar said Imran was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case, the biggest corruption case in the history of Pakistan.

He alleged that the PTI chief indulged in corruption and corrupt practice during his government, besides misuse of power and his arrest was not a surprise move rather it was the result of months-long investigations by NAB.

The trust deed of Al-Qadir Trust had the signatures of Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi and Imran, he added.

The SAPM expressed his doubts about the nature of the social services rendered by the trust, which received a total of Rs180 million in its different accounts, in addition to the precious land transferred in its name.

The SAPM warned the PTI protestors of strict action for indulging in unlawful activity. Only a few PTI supporters were protesting over the arrest of their leader, and vandalising public and private properties, and they would be treated as per the law, he warned.

Separately, earlier in the day, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that the masses would not come out in support of Imran if he was arrested.

However, her claims proved false as protests broke out in most of the cities across the country after his arrest.

Reacting to Imran’s statement on her official Twitter handle, she said, “Imran will be arrested in connection with the prohibited funding case, Toshakhana gifts theft case and for not revealing his daughter [Tyrian White].”

Many cases against Imran were registered and he was guilty in all of them, she maintained.