Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has appeared at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for a hearing concerning his bail application in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
A video on the official PTI Twitter account revealed the former Prime Minister’s bullet-proof vehicle encircled by a large police escort at the courthouse’s entrance. Another video displayed Imran entering the IHC with his security team holding bulletproof shields.
The hearing of Imran’s appeal will be presided over by a division bench led by Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.
The case accuses Imran and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, of acquiring substantial funds and land from a real estate firm to legitimize Rs50 billion repatriated from the UK during the previous PTI administration.
On May 9, paramilitary forces abruptly removed Imran from the IHC, which sparked widespread protests nationwide. His immediate appeal to the IHC for release was declared legal.
He then appealed to the Supreme Court, which deemed his arrest “invalid and unlawful” on May 11, ordering him to appear before the IHC the following day.
Imran was subsequently granted two weeks’ bail by the IHC and was protected from arrest until May 17 in any case filed in Islamabad post-May 9.
On May 17, the IHC extended the order prohibiting Imran’s arrest in cases filed post-May 9 until May 31.
The IHC will also hear two more petitions relating to Imran today, including a bail appeal regarding the breach of Section 144 and a writ petition requesting that Islamabad police be forbidden from arresting Imran in any case registered after May 9. These pleas will be heard following the bail application in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Simultaneously, an Islamabad accountability court will hear the bail application of Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case. She was granted bail until today, May 31, last week.
The hearing will be presided over by Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir.
About the hearing, stringent security measures are in place. A considerable police force will be stationed outside the IHC premises and the Federal Judicial Complex. Only individuals with special passes will be granted entrance to the courtroom.
Additionally, Islamabad police have reiterated that Section 144, which prohibits public gatherings of more than four people, remains in effect.
