Supporters of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan clash with police following the arrest of the head of the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Wednesday. Photo by Bilawal Arbab/EPA-EFE
May 10 (UPI) — Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was indicted on corruption charges Wednesday as he appeared in court in a separate corruption case that saw him arrested by paramilitary forces in a surprise move on Tuesday.
A Pakistani court indicted Khan, the 70-year-old former cricket star and leader of Pakistan’s PTI party, in a case alleging he “deliberately concealed” details of gifts he held onto from the Toshaskhana — a storage place for gifts from foreign officials are kept — as well as profits from their sales.
The latest charge came as Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir reserved a verdict on a separate case alleging that Bahria Town allotted land worth $6.46 million to Al-Qadir Trust, owned by Khan and his wife.
The National Accountability Bureau had requested that Khan be held in custody for an additional 14 days but Khan’s legal team opposed the request, saying there was “no need for a physical remand” as Khan would cooperate with the investigation.
Khan’s legal team also challenged the validity of the arrest warrant and that authorities broke the law in capturing Khan.
“My client was illegally arrested,” Khawaja Haris, Khan’s attorney, said. “Proper method was not adopted to arrest Imran. [The] NAB sent a notice, but when did it convert the complaint into a reference? Imran is also being dragged in many other cases.”
The Islamabad High Court, however, ruled the arrest was legal, prompting the PTI Party to file a petition challenging the verdict.
Wednesday’s hearing was held at the New Police Guest House after the hearing was moved from the High Court late Tuesday. Khan’s legal team was also initially barred from meeting him at the venue but the court ultimately allowed three from a list of 20 lawyers provided by PTI to enter.
Legions of Khan’s supporters took to the streets to protest Khan’s arrest and Army troops were deployed in the Punjab province in an effort to quell the unrest.
Police said that 945 people were arrested in the province and 130 officers and officials were injured. At least two deaths were also reported amid the protests.
If Khan is found guilty of corruption charges, will not be allowed to run for public office again, something he has been fighting against in hopes of returning to office.