RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) imprisoned founder Imran Khan has expressed willingness for initiating talks with the army, asking the military to nominate a representative to hold parleys.
The PTI founder, who appeared in a court established in Adiala jail for a hearing, said: “We are ready to hold talks with the military. The army should nominate their representative [for negotiations].”
Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned for nearly a year, said that his party had never levelled allegations against the army, but had only criticised the armed forces. He further said that if any PTI worker was found guilty in the May 9, 2023, riots then the authorities should penalise the individual.
Imran Khan reiterated that the incumbent government wanted to destroy his party by creating a wedge between PTI party and the armed forces. When asked why was he seeking talks when he was criticising the army and why wasn’t he seeking talks with political parties, he said: “What is the SIFC? Who is Mohsin Naqvi? There is an undeclared martial law.”
Khan said that Interior Minister Naqvi was “their” representative and that he had reached “this place due to them”. He then alleged that he would never hold talks with Naqvi as he along with the Punjab Inspector General (IG) “oppressed” his party.
He alleged that he was “abducted from judicial complex” and “it was declared legal by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq”. He demanded the IHC CJ to recuse himself from his cases. Appealing to the judiciary, Khan said that his cases should be referred to any other high court judges except for Justice Farooq.
Post-arrest bail
PTI founder Imran Khan on Tuesday sought post-arrest bail from an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore over a dozen cases related to the May 9 riots, for which the high court had set aside his physical remand.
The already incarcerated former prime minister was “arrested” in these cases on July 15 — just a day after he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, had been apprehended in a new Toshakhana case, following their acquittal in the Iddat case.
The new arrest, however, had left his chances of being free from jail hanging in the balance.
Given his repeated apprehensions, Tuesday’s petition — filed through Barrister Salman Safdar moved the court to grant a post-arrest bail to the former premier.
“[…] The petitioner being aggrieved from a malicious and politically motivated attempt of the complainant to frame him in this frivolous FIR, craves for the kind indulgence of this honourable court for the grant of ‘post arrest’ bail”, it read.
The petition was made based on ten points arguing why Imran must be granted bail. It said that the sole allegation against him was related to “abetment” for allegedly inciting his supporters to violence. It argued that the allegation was levelled against him when he was in custody and was not allowed to communicate with the outside world.
It added that since his arrest was not sought for five-and-a-half months after his bail was dismissed on non-prosecution on August 11, his arrest was not required in the case.
The petition noted that bail petitions for similar cases had been granted to Imran by the ATCs in Lahore and Rawalpindi as well as additional sessions judges in Islamabad, while “witnesses of abetment introduced at belated stage have already been disbelieved by an ATC in Lahore.
“The petitioner’s arrest, based on vague and belated allegations, highlights the police’s malafide intent and ulterior motives, as further evidenced by directives from senior officials to implicate him in all related cases,” the petition argued.
It said that the material collected by police from social media was the result of an afterthought and, therefore, does not constitute any penal offence, adding that the majority of those co-accused have already been granted bail.
“There is a need for ‘further Inquiry’ into the petitioner’s guilt, making his continued incarceration illegal and unjustified given the lack of credible evidence,” the petition stated, adding that Imran “had been roped in this case at behest of his political opponents.”
The petition argued that since the “sole allegation” against Imran was related to abetment, therefore, a case of an abettor not present at the spot “always stands at a lower footing”.
Cases against ex-PM
The 71-year-old PTI founding chairman has been in prison for almost a year after he was booked in a plethora of cases, including the Toshakhana, cipher, and the un-Islamic marriage. His wife, Bushra, has also been behind bars for months. However, a court suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case, while other courts overturned his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases.
While there were hopes for Imran and Bushra’s release in July, they were dashed when NAB arrested them on fresh charges related to the sale of state gifts. The chances of Imran’s release from jail further dimmed after he was arrested in new cases linked to the May 9, 2023, riots, following his acquittal in the iddat case.
Bushra Bibi named in more 11 cases related
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, has been implicated in 11 cases stemming from the May 9 incidents, according to court reports.
During a recent Islamabad High Court hearing, the Rawalpindi and Islamabad Police presented details revealing that Bushra Bibi was arrested on May 9. The
police outlined the charges against her in 11 cases filed in Rawalpindi. The report, submitted by the Rawalpindi Police, was reviewed by the court.
NAB Prosecutor Rafi Maqsood disclosed that Bushra Bibi faces four cases with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), three registered in Rawalpindi and one in Lahore. The FIA and Balochistan Police have yet to submit their responses, prompting the court to issue further notices to these agencies.
Simultaneously, the Accountability Court in Islamabad extended the physical remand of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi for another 10 days in a new Tosha Khana reference. Judge Muhammad Ali Waraich presided over the hearing at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, where NAB requested an additional 14-day remand.
Bushra Bibi, addressing the court alongside her husband, expressed frustration, saying, “Do what you want to decide; I have left my fate to Allah. NAB is
continuously unjust, filing false cases against us.”