PTI chairman approaches IHC for bail in cipher case

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE  -  Pakistan Tehreek-e-In­saf (PTI) Chairman Im­ran Khan Saturday filed the post-arrest bail ap­plication in the Islam­abad High Court (IHC) in a case registered un­der the Official Secrets Act of 1923 in which he had been accused of di­vulging the contents of a confidential diplo­matic cable for political purposes.

Khan approached the IHC following the deci­sion of a special court conducting his pris­on trial in the matter which turned down his bail petition on Thurs­day. Khan has been in District Jail, Attock, since he was arrested from his residence in Lahore in corruption case last month.

Reportedly, Imran petitioned the court asking to grant him post-arrest bail un­til the final disposal of the case. The bail appli­cation described Khan as “one of the few hon­est and dignified states­men” of the country, saying the sole objec­tive of the case was “po­litical victimisation and score-settling.”

While the special court had extended Khan’s ju­dicial remand until Sep­tember 26 during its last hearing, the IHC accepted his petition which will be heard by Chief Justice Amir Farooq on Monday. 

Meanwhile, PTI President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was detained by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab on Saturday just a day after he got bail from an anti-terrorism court in the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) attack case. ACE officials took Punjab’s former chief minister to the judicial complex for transitory re­mand from where he will be taken to the ACE headquar­ters in Lahore. Elahi faces four corruption cases, accord­ing to officials.

A day earlier, the PTI president was granted bail in the judicial complex attack case by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad. ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain had approved Elahi’s bail against the surety bond of Rs20,000 — which Elahi’s legal team failed to pay.

Due to the non-payment of the bail bond, the Anti-cor­ruption Establishment (ACE) arrested Elahi from Adiala jail. The PTI president was apprehended hours after his release from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody on September 1, despite the fact that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had explicitly restricted the authori­ties from arresting him earlier that day.

According to sources, Elahi was taken to Lahore on a one-day transitory remand approved by duty judge Shahrukh Arjumand after his arrest on Saturday.

The court also ordered to produce the PTI president before the relevant court by Sunday.

Speaking to media persons, Parvez Elahi’s counsel Sardar Abdul Razzaq said no corruption case has been registered against his client in Punjab. “Elahi’s bail amount wasn’t paid yet. He was not even released be­fore being re-arrested in another case,” the lawyer add­ed. An ACE spokesperson said that Elahi was arrested in Lahore Master Plan 2050 corruption case, adding that he was taken into custody from Rawalpindi.

Elahi committed fraud to financially benefit himself in the project and tried merging his lands in Lahore by ma­nipulating the plan, said the spokesperson. 

He added that fake seals and monograms of a consul­tant firm were used to change the Master Plan while fake documents were also added to it. 

“Attempts were made to convert agricultural land to commercial and residential to make billions of rupees,” said the spokesperson. He added that Parvez Elahi mis­used this position to benefit himself financially. He add­ed that the PTI president illegally used his authority to get approval for the project from the officers concerned. The spokesperson further said that a case has been reg­istered against Elahi in Lahore for forgery in the Mas­ter Plan. “All the suspects involved in the Lahore Mas­ter Plan will be apprehended,” added the spokesperson.