New Delhi: An anti-corruption court in Pakistan granted National Accountability Bureau (NAB) eight-day remand of former prime minister Imran Khan a day after he was arrested in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case in which he is accused of looting Rs 50 billion of the national treasury. The 70-year-old chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was produced in the Anti-Accountability Court No. 1 presided by judge Muhammad Bashir. Bashir was the same judge who had convicted former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam in a corruption case of having properties in London.
At the start of the hearing on Wednesday, the NAB lawyers requested the court to grant a 14-day remand of Imran Khan to investigate the allegations against him in the Al-Qadir Trust case. However, Khan’s lawyer opposed the petition and asked the judge to release him as the charges were “false”.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the anti-corruption court reserved its ruling and later sent Imran Khan on an eight-day physical remand to the NAB.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan, claiming he was "fearful for his life", requested the court to grant his doctor Faisal Sultan access to him. “I have not been to the washroom in 24 hours. I am afraid I will meet the same fate as 'Maqsood Chaprasi,” PTI quoted him as saying. He was referring to a witness in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's money laundering case who died due to a cardiac arrest last year. PTI party had termed his death 'mysterious'.
Notably, Imran Khan was arrested by the paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau by barging into a room of the Islamabad High Court. His arrest sparked massive country-wide protests by his supporters.
Imran Khan was also presented in the District and Sessions Court where judge Humayun Dilawar indicted him in the Toshakhana corruption case on Wednesday.