Islamabad, May 11 (PTI) Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the anti-corruption watchdog to produce former prime minister Imran Khan within an hour after it found the agency had trespassed on him by entering the court premises and without permission. Arrested for “contempt of court”. From the Registrar of the Court. The direction was issued by a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah, which was hearing a petition against the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman in the Al-Qadir Trust case. It was Tuesday During the hearing, the bench expressed displeasure over the arrest of 70-year-old Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court, where he had come from Lahore in connection with a case. The bench directed the NAB to produce Khan by 4.30 pm (local time), when the court would resume sitting.
At the outset of the hearing, Chief Justice Bandyal asked how a person could be arrested from the court premises. Justice Minallah found that Khan had indeed entered the court premises. “How can anyone be denied the right to justice?” He asked.
The court also said that no one can be arrested from the court without the permission of the registrar of the court. It was also observed that arrest without fear and information tantamount to denial of access to justice, which was the right of every citizen. It also said that entering the premises of the court means surrendering to the court and how a person can be arrested after surrender. The Chief Justice said, “If a person has surrendered in the court, what is the point of arresting him.”
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Khan’s lawyer Hamid Khan informed the court that his client had approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for pre-arrest bail, but paramilitary Rangers arrested him. The lawyer said, “The rangers misbehaved with Imran Khan and arrested him.”
The court also took note of the entry of around 90 to 100 Rangers personnel into the court to arrest Khan. The Chief Justice asked, “If 90 people enter its premises, what is the dignity of the court? How can a person be arrested from the court premises.”
Chief Justice Bandyal also said at this point that the National Accountability Bureau had committed ‘contempt of court’. “They should have taken permission from the registrar of the court before arresting them. Court staff were also manhandled,” he said.
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Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday and an accountability court on Wednesday handed him over to the National Accountability Bureau for eight days in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The former prime minister on Wednesday approached the apex court challenging the Islamabad High Court’s decision to quash NAB’s May 1 warrant for his arrest and declare the arrest as “illegal”. Earlier, the IHC had upheld Khan’s arrest hours after he was arrested, expressing anger at the manner in which he was held.