NAB allowed four more days to grill Imran

Judge says graft questioning will be held inside jail and PTI chief will not be moved elsewhere

RAWALPINDI:

An accountability court of Islamabad granted four more days to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday to interrogate Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the £190 million Al-Qadir University reference.

Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir heard the case inside the Adiala Jail, where Imran is currently incarcerated. During the hearing, the PTI chairman was present in the courtroom. His three sisters also attended the proceedings.

The judge ordered that NAB would investigate the accused inside the jail and that the PTI chairman would not be shifted to anywhere else. He also directed the NAB investigation team and the prosecution to complete the investigation by the next date of hearing on November 27.

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So far, the court had given a total of 15 days to NAB to investigate Imran. The court was informed that the name of Farah Gogi had also appeared in the reference. Imran’s lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa, later told reporters outside the jail that NAB presented a 30-point document, which it wanted to investigate.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain adjourned the hearing of three cases of the PTI chairman and two cases of PTI Vice Chiarman Shah Mehmood Qureshi till November 28 because of the non-availability of the investigating officer.

During the hearing, the prosecutor sought time for presenting his arguments. PTI lawyers Khalid Yusuf Chaudhry told the court that an order was issued on the previous hearing that the state would present arguments on Thursday.

Read more NAB to interrogate Imran in £190 million settlement case at Adiala jail

Qureshi's lawyer Ali Bukhari said that his client was suffering because of the delay by the prosecution. He added that two bail applications of Qureshi were pending. The judge said that he would see to the matter and adjourned the hearing on the bail applications of Imran and Qureshi till November 28.

Also, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri disposed of a plea moved by Imran's wife Bushra Bibi for provision of details of the cases registered against her and to prevent her arrest, after it was withdrawn.