Islamabad: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan, who was arrested by the paramilitary force Rangers on Tuesday, is facing 121 cases across the country, including sedition and blasphemy, and inciting violence and terrorism. According to senior party leader Shireen Mazari, Khan, who was traveling from Lahore to the federal capital Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric procedure at the court when rangers broke a glass window and began beating up lawyers and Khan’s security staff. Later he was arrested.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by 70-year-old Khan recently submitted a list of cases to the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The list said 31 cases have been registered against Khan in the federal capital and 30 in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, and call-up notices have been issued. The cases pertain to various charges such as sedition, blasphemy, violence and inciting and perpetrating terrorism. According to the list, 12 cases of terrorism have been registered against Imran in Lahore and 14 in Faisalabad. There are about 22 cases of terrorism registered against Imran Khan across the country.
An Islamabad court is set to indict him on May 10 in a case in which he allegedly concealed income from the sale of state gifts. On November 19 last year, the National Accountability Bureau had taken cognizance of the alleged non-disclosure of the actual value of gifts received by the former prime minister, his wife and other cabinet members. Sources associated with the case said that there was a difference between the actual value of the gifts received by the former prime minister and the sale price.
Proceedings of the investigation revealed that during Khan’s tenure as prime minister, he kept some state gifts presented by various foreign dignitaries. The corruption case for which he was present in the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday did not figure in the list. The Islamabad Police issued a statement quoting Inspector General (IG) Akbar Nasir Khan as saying that Imran was arrested in connection with a case in which it was alleged that Khan and his wife had embezzled Rs 50 from a real estate firm. Received billions of rupees to legalize billions of rupees.
The former prime minister, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, is facing an NAB probe related to a deal between the PTI government and a property tycoon that allegedly caused a £190 million loss to the national exchequer. He is also accused of obtaining undue advantage in the form of 458 kanals (23.16 ha) of land in Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, for the establishment of Al Qadir University.
Imran Khan had earlier said that over 140 cases have been registered against him across the country since he stepped down as prime minister last year. PTI chief Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a vote of no confidence in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan. was part of.
Khan, who came to power in 2018, is the only Pakistani prime minister to survive a no-confidence vote in parliament.