Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
“An accountability court has extended by 11 days the physical remand of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana corruption case,” media reports said on Friday (August 9, 2024.)
The hearing, presided over by Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana, took place on August 8, 2024 in the makeshift courtroom set up at Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala Jail, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
Judge Rana approved the remand extension of the former first couple for 11 days after the lapse of their 10-day physical remand in the fresh Toshakhana corruption case.
Imran Khan (71) has been imprisoned at the Adiala Jail for more than a year now upon his conviction in multiple cases. His wife, 49-year-old Bibi, is also jailed along with him.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) told the court that the accused had cooperated with the investigation team only twice during the previous 10-day remand. The anti-corruption watchdog requested an additional 14-day physical remand to complete the investigation.
“However, after hearing the arguments, the court granted an 11-day extension to the remand and adjourned the hearing until August 19,” the report said. Imran Khan and his wife have already completed 24 days in remand in connection with the new Toshakhana corruption case.
In the case, the NAB accused the former couple of purchasing a jewellery set from the Toshakhana and selling it by violating the laws. Toshakhana is a repository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept.
According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division. The NAB filed the fresh Toshakhana case against the couple hours after a district and sessions court quashed their conviction in their un-Islamic marriage case last month.
The court’s short order stated that the two should be immediately released unless they were wanted in other cases. After the hearing on Thursday, the former Pakistan PM told reporters that the ruling coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party would collapse in two months.
“These fools are not understanding that this government doesn’t have more than two months. The government is going to collapse in two months,” he was quoted as saying in the report. “I have a lot of time (at my disposal), but they (the rulers) are running out of time,” he added.
He said that he would not strike a deal with the powers no matter how long the government kept him behind bars, “A deal is made by someone who has committed a crime. I have no money stashed abroad, nor do I own any property outside the country,” he said.
“I have fought all the cases against me and will continue to fight more. The purpose of filing cases against me and my wife was to break the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf). (The) NAB has filed four cases against me for Toshakhana gifts,” he added.
Imran Khan also said he had not tendered an apology for the May 9 riots, which broke out after the Pakistan Rangers arrested him from the Islamabad High Court premises during his appearance in a corruption case.
“I have not made any unconditional apology. For the past 12 months, I have been saying that the CCTV footage [of May 9 incidents] should be released,” he said.
“If it shows PTI workers were involved in rioting, I will apologise, expel them from the party, and ensure they are punished. Am I crazy to tell my people to attack the military?” he added. He faces more than 200 cases and has been convicted in a few of them. Though the former-cricketer-turned-politician had secured bail or his conviction was set aside, he has not been released.
