Supreme Court of Pakistan declares Imran Khan’s arrest illegal in Al-Qadir Trust case

The Supreme Court of Pakistan declared the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan as “illegal” after he was taken into custody by Rangers personnel in the courtroom. The three-member bench of the Supreme Court ordered the authorities to produce him before the court and to appear in the Islamabad High Court the following day. The legal team of Imran Khan appeared before the court, arguing that he came to IHC for bail but was arrested from the court premises. The Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court remarked that NAB disgraced the judiciary by arresting Imran Khan from the court premises, and that contempt of court would not be tolerated.

The PTI filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the IHC’s decision that deemed Imran Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as “legal.” Imran Khan was arrested by NAB in the Al-Qadir Trust case, and the NAB’s warrant was acted upon by Rangers personnel who arrested him from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. The IHC later declared the arrest as legal.

The Islamabad High Court also heard the petition challenging Imran Khan’s arrest and issued contempt of court notices to the Interior Secretary and IG Islamabad. The legal team argued that the amount being termed as corruption by the NAB was already deposited into the Supreme Court’s account, and the government could transfer it anywhere it wanted from there.