Imran, Bushra skip appearance before NAB

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Imran skipped their appearance before the NAB Rawalpindi in separate cases — Toshakhana case and £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK settlement case, respectively with citing their appearance in Lahore High Court on Monday and sought the shifting date to 4-7-2023 for their appearance before the NAB Rawalpindi.

The Combined Investigation Team (CIT) of the NAB Rawalpindi probing Toshakhana Case has summoned Imran Khan twice in this case but he did not appear previously and also skipped his appearance on Monday too.

While the CIT of the NAB has summoned Bushra Bibi on Monday in a £190 Million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK settlement case as accused being a trustee of Al-Qadir University Trust but she also did not appear and sent a request through her lawyer for fresh date July 4 for her appearance.

According to sources, in his reply to notice of NAB Rawalpindi, Imran Khan through his lawyer said that he could not appear NAB office due to his appearance in Lahore High Court.

Sources said Imran Khan stated that in response to the previous notices, it was also said that there is an appearance in the Islamabad courts on July 4. “This case does not come under the jurisdiction of NAB,” PTI chairman replied to the NAB’s notice.

Imran Khan stated in his response to NAB Rawalpindi that, ”The fact of the matter is that, in reply to your Call Up Notice dated 22-06-2023 requiring me to appear before the CIT on 23-06-2023, I had expressed my inability to do so because I had to appear before the Lahore High Court on 23-06-2023 for the purpose of obtaining pre-arrest protective bails in two cases i.e (a) case FIR No 13/23 465 registered under section 420/468/471PPC and section 5 of ACT of 1947 at Police Station Anti-Corruption Establishment, Dera Ghazi Khan and (b) case FIR no 16/23 registered under section 20 of PECA, 2016 and sections 153A/505/124A, PPC at Police Station, Bijli Road, Quetta. Besides I was also scheduled to join investigations in a number of cases and to appear before the Anti-Terrorism Court at Lahore, during the next few days and it was for the said reasons that I had to request you to shift the date 23-06-2023 to 04-07-2023. In requested by me in my earlier replies dated 20-06-2023 and 22-06-2023, I may be allowed to appear before the CIT for joining the investigation on 04-07-2023.”

Sources said Imran Khan requested to the NAB Rawalpindi that July 4 date should be given for his appearance.

While Bushra Imran Khan in her reply to call up notice of NAB excused herself from the NAB appearance and stated that she cannot go to Islamabad due to her appearance in Lahore High Court.

She stated in her reply that in response to the earlier notice, she had told that she did not have any documents related to the case and can get the record of the case from the Chief Financial Officer of Al-Qadir Trust.

According to sources, Bushra Imran stated in her response to NAB Rawalpindi that, “As regard your insistence in your letter dated 07-06-2023 and 12-06-2023 that I should appear before the CIT on 13-06-2023, you are well aware that, vide my reply that dated 13-06-2023, I had conveyed to you that I wasn’t able to do so because my husband could not travel with me from Lahore to Islamabad on the said date. Furthermore, I also conveyed to you even in my earlier to your Call Up notice dated 01-06-2023 that I observe strict Parda and will be comfortable in travelling to Islamabad only in the company of my husband.”

She stated that, “As I have to personally appear before the honourable Lahore High Court on 26-06-2023, the date of my joining the investigation of the case may be shifted to 4-07-2023, on which my husband too would be travelling to Islamabad and has also made a request that the date for his appearance before the CIT in another case may be fixed for the said date.”