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Thursday November 14, 2024

£190m, Al-Qadir Trust cases: 4 NAB teams grill Imran in Adiala jail for 9 hours

Judge of Official Secrets Act Special Court ordered Khan to appear before the court on Nov 28 in cipher case

By Asim Yasin & Awais Yousafzai
November 27, 2023
Former prime minister Imran Khan speaks virtually from his house in Zaman Park in this image on July 30, 2023. — Facebook/Imran Khan
Former prime minister Imran Khan speaks virtually from his house in Zaman Park in this image on July 30, 2023. — Facebook/Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Rawalpindi, interrogated former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala jail in £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK, and Al-Qadir University Trust cases, on Sunday.

According to sources, four different teams separately interrogated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman for over nine hours. The teams grilled him about different documents and asked him various questions, added the sources.

The first team, comprising one assistant director of NAB Rawalpindi and a member of the Combined Investigation Team of NAB, visited Adiala jail and interrogated Imran Khan for around two-and-a-half hours. After that, a two-member team asked former premier questions about £190m and Al-Qadir University Trust cases.

The PTI chairman is set to appear in different courts of Islamabad on November 28 and 30 in separate cases.

Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain of the Official Secrets Act Special Court has ordered Imran Khan to appear before the court on Nov 28 in cipher case.

Also, his appeal against conviction in Toshakhana criminal case is scheduled for hearing on Nov 30. An Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench comprising Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri will hear his appeal.

However, it is doubtful that former premier will be produced in Islamabad courts on April 28 and 30 for open trial, though his jail trial had been declared null and void by the IHC.

The 71-year-old cricketer-turned politician has been languishing in jail since August 5 following his three-year conviction in Toshakhana case. On August 29, the IHC had suspended his sentence and ordered for his release. However, a trial court directed the authorities to rearrest Khan, this time in the cipher case, and begin trial in jail.

Online adds: PTI Chairman Imran Khan would be brought to the Judicial Complex on Tuesday [tomorrow] for hearing of cipher case. The police, administration and other departments concerned would hold a meeting on Monday to finalise the security plan for him.

Sources said the Special Branch of the police and other relevant departments had started collecting classified information which would help them in planning security for the former premier.

Police sources said there were three routes to bring Imran Khan to Judicial Complex: one is Peshawar Road, the second is Islamabad Expressway and the third is Murree Road.

According to sources, Peshawar Road would be the preferred option to bring Imran Khan from jail to the Judicial Complex. The Red Zone is likely to be partially sealed on Tuesday besides important installations in and around the area.

Sources said that the Judicial Complex would be surrounded by the police and paramilitary forces.

Important points and roads leading to the Judicial Complex were likely to be sealed. Troops are also likely to be deployed near important places of the capital like Faizabad Zero Point, Srinagar Highway and Red Zone