Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has been arrested by Rangers outside Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The PTI chief was taken into custody in the Al-Qadir Trust case by Rangers from outside Islamabad High Court where the former premier had gone to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him.
Rangers personnel driving a black Toyota Hilux Vigo took Imran Khan away to NAB Rawalpindi.
Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan confirmed the development and said that the situation is under control.
According to the details, the PTI chairman was going for biometric verification at the IHC when he was taken into custody. The NAB officials had arrest warrants.
Khan’s warrants were issued on May 1 by NAB chairman Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmad Butt.
As per details, Khan was taken into custody under Section 9A of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.
Taking to Twitter, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Imran had failed to appear before the court despite being issued several notices to him in the inquiry.
“The arrest has been conducted by the National Accountability Bureau for causing losses to the national treasury,” he said.
According to initial reports, the PTI chairman has been taken to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office in Rawalpindi.
Rangers ‘tortured’ Imran Khan
Khan’s lawyer Barrister Ali Gohar told media personnel that the Rangers personnel “tortured” the party chairman during the arrest.
“Imran Khan was hit on the head and his injured leg,” he claimed.
He added that he and Ali Bukhari were present with the PTI chief at the time of the arrest.
“Rangers broke through the glass and entered the diary branch,” Advocate Gohar further said, adding the Rangers personnel broke IHC’s main gate before ransacking the IHC office.
Meanwhile, the PTI has condemned the arrest of the party chairman terming it an "abduction" by the law enforcement agency and urged the supporters and workers to stage protests across the country.
In a tweet, Fawad alleged that Imran had been “abducted” from the court premises while a score of lawyers and general people had been “tortured”.
Meanwhile, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took notice of Imran Khan’s arrest from the premises of the high court and has summoned IG Islamabad, the secretary interior and the additional attorney general.
Justice Farooq has directed govt to inform court immediately who was behind the arrest and in what case has Imran been arrested in.
What is Al-Qadir Trust case?
The former prime minister, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, are facing a NAB inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.
As per the charges, the Khan and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — 190 million pounds at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.
They are also accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, to establish Al Qadir University.
“Will summon prime minister if a report was not submitted in 15 minutes,” the judge remarked.
This is a developing story