Imran claims 'hit on head' during arrest on May 9

Former premier shocked at PTI leaders' arrests; says 'unaware' of attack at Jinnah House

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Friday claimed that he was hit on the head with batons as Rangers personnel arrested him in the Al-Qadir Trust case earlier this week.

During a conversation with media personnel in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the former prime minister reportedly showed swelling and wounds on the back of his head, alleging that he was hit during his arrest. He continued that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials had treated the injury.

The PTI chairman is in IHC for the hearing of his bail plea in the Al-Qadir Trust case as per the Supreme Court's order. 

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Talking to reporters in the courtroom, Imran expressed "full confidence" in Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, following the top court’s orders for the PTI chief’s immediate release.

He said that NAB's treatment toward him was "alright" and reiterated that he was hit on the head with a baton during his arrest.

When asked about the violent protests that began following his arrest on May 9, Imran questioned how he could stop everything that was happening and said that he had warned earlier that there would be a “reaction” if he was arrested.

“How can I be held responsible, when I was in [NAB's] custody?” he asked, adding that he had stated before the SC that whatever happened during the protests “did not go well”.

Imran maintained that “When the Rangers arrested me, I said: this is my country, my people. Be peaceful”. 

The deposed prime minister said that he has filed for bail pleas in dozens of cases against him but he will “not resist arrest”.

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A day earlier, following the apex court's order, Imran expressed shock at the subsequent arrests of other PTI leaders.

Talking to journalists, he inquired why PTI Secretary General Asad Umar was arrested. He was also surprised that Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Fawad Chaudhry were incarcerated.

“If I was told earlier, I would have spoken about this in front of the court,” he stated.

Imran’s counsel also told him that so far 21 people were confirmed to be dead during the violent protests, whereas there was intel of 40 people dead.

The news reportedly angered the PTI chief, who once again questioned why he was not informed earlier. “All these things need to be told to the court,” he maintained.

Imran 'unaware' of attack at Jinnah House

When asked if he condemned the raid on the Corps Commander Lahore’s residence, Imran stated that he could not answer because he was not aware of the situation.

He was also asked if he would resume negotiations with the incumbent government after instructions from the chief justice, to which questioned how could he hold negotiations when the government “does not talk about the Constitution”.

“We want elections and they are running away from elections. The Constitution states that elections should be held within 90 days. Restore the Constitution and then we will see [about negotiations],” he stated.

A reporter asked if Imran met anyone during his detention, to which the ousted premier stated that he did not meet anyone but his counsel Khawaja Haris. The deposed premier praised Haris’s “strong arguments” before the NAB court.

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A foreign journalist questioned if his arrest was due to the allegations he levelled against a serving military official for plotting the assassination attempt on him, to which Imran said that his statements were not “allegations but facts”.

“When I left Lahore, I had a suspicion that they would arrest me, which is why I released the video statement,” he said, referring to the message he had put out shortly before his arrest.

During the conversation, NAB officials came to the PTI chief and announced their leave as he was “now in the custody of the Islamabad police”. To this, Imran smiled and expressed hope that he would not see them again.

Imran Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), where he was present for two hearings. However, on Thursday, the SC declared his arrest "unlawful" and ordered that he be released immediately.