PTI Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan was dragged from a courtroom and arrested
The Pakistan Supreme Court on Thursday criticised the Army for its action against former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
After SC’s instruction, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan was also presented before it amid tight security. Paramilitary forces whisked away Khan on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials who barged into a room of the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday.
The directive was issued by a three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah, which heard Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman’s plea against his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Tuesday.
The bench during the hearing expressed anger at the way 70-year-old Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court where he had come from Lahore for a case.
What dignity remains of the court if 90 people entered its premises? How can any individual be arrested from court premises?’ the chief justice was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
“In the past, action has been taken against lawyers for vandalism inside the court,’ he observed. “If an individual has surrendered to the court, then what does arresting them mean?” The top judge said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had committed “contempt of court”.
“They should have taken permission from the court’s registrar before the arrest. Court staffers were also subjected to abuse,’ he added. The bench directed NAB to produce Khan by 4:30 pm (local time) when the court would reconvene.