NAB summons Imran Khan in Al-Qadir Trust case
What's the story
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in a personal capacity in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Thursday, according to the news outlet GeoNews. The NAB also retitled the Al-Qadir Trust reference to "National Crime Agency190m Pounds Scandal" and asked the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to make a physical appearance on the set date.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Khan was apprehended in the same case on May 9, but his arrest was declared unlawful by the country's Supreme Court, and he was granted bail until May 17 by the Islamabad High Court. Last Saturday, Khan returned home after two days of detention following the HC court's order granting him protective bail for 14 days in a corruption case, among others.
Details
Details on NAB's notice to Khan
In its notice to the PTI chief, the anti-graft body sought details of the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) 2019 investigation into assets worth 190 million pounds from Khan. Furthermore, the NAB reportedly asked Khan to bring along details regarding the NCA probe and papers related to Al-Qadir University, including land documents, bank statements, and trust deeds.
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Details on Al-Qadir Trust case
The PTI chief has also been warned of legal action by the anti-corruption watchdog in case of non-compliance with the summons. To recall, the trustees of Al-Qadir Trust included the then Pakistan PM, his wife Bushra Bibi, and his senior advisers Babar Awan and Zulfiqar Bukhari. It should also be noted that Bukhari and Awan's positions were subsequently revoked in April 2020.
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Khan to skip Thursday's NAB hearing
Despite the warning, Khan is set to skip his appearance at the NAB and instead submit a written response to the questionnaire, per reports. Reports also claimed that the 70-year-old's legal team advised him against appearing before the NAB in a personal capacity and instead asked him to send a written reply to the 20 questions asked regarding the corruption case.
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PTI being targeted to thwart next government formation: Khan
Meanwhile, the PTI chief claimed on Thursday that his party is being targeted to stop it from forming the next government. "Our democracy, our judiciary...constitution, and the rule of law has been made a complete mockery by the current fascist setup," Khan wrote on Twitter. "Like our other leaders, Shireen Mazari after getting bail was rearrested and taken to another jai," he added.
Twitter Post
Khan's Twitter post
Our democracy, our judiciary, our constitution and the rule of law has been made a complete mockery by the current fascist set up . Like our other leaders , Shireen Mazari after getting bail was rearrested and taken to another jail . 7500 of our workers have been arrested with…
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 17, 2023
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Khan's arrest triggered massive violence across Pakistan
The 70-year-old's arrest by the Pakistan Rangers on May 9 triggered massive unrest in Pakistan that continued till Friday last week, resulting in several deaths and the destruction of dozens of military and state installations. Reportedly, agitators stormed the army headquarters in Rawalpindi for the first time and set fire to the corps commander's Lahore residence.