Imran Khan still in touch with President Arif Alvi, dismisses reports of losing contact

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday brushed off reports that he had lost contact with President Arif Alvi .

“Will Arif Alvi ever be upset with me?” the PTI chief said in response to a question by Geo News whether the president was upset with him. He added that reports regarding his ties with President Alvi were “incorrect”.

Khan also said that Alvi signed the Supreme Court (Review of Judgements and Orders) Bill 2023 with his consultation and was updated on it.

“Had Arif Alvi not signed the document then it would have turned into law either way,” he added.

Earlier this week, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan, during the hearing of the Punjab polls case in the Supreme Court, apprised the court that the law for the review of suo motu judgements had come into effect.

The Supreme Court Review of Judgements and Orders Bill, 2023, came into force last Friday after President Alvi’s assent. The law states that for reviewing a suo motu judgement, a bigger bench — than the one that issued the order — will hear the case.

The PTI chief was talking while he was leaving an accountability court where he had appeared in the infamous £190 million settlement case. He was granted bail by the court till June 19 (20 days) today.

Before arriving at the accountability court, he had also appeared at the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The high court also granted the former prime minister bail in a separate case on the violation of Section 144 for 10 days.

The deposed premier, who had been ousted via a vote of no-confidence last year in April, had appeared before the high court amid strict security, to seek an interim bail in the graft case.

Before that, he had accompanied his wife Bushra Bibi to an accountability court present inside the federal judicial complex, for an extension of her bail in the €190 million settlement case. The court disposed of the former first lady's plea and allowed her to leave.

Khan, along with his wife and other PTI leaders, is 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.