ISLAMABAD: The way Imran Khan was arrested also prompted the Islamabad High Court to initiate contempt proceedings against the interior secretary and the police chief of Islamabad for mishandling the arrest, though it agreed the detention was made within the parameters.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued contempt notices to both these officials and directed the registrar’s office to get a case registered over the ransacking of the court premises.

After an inquiry by the registrar, responsibility will be fixed in the case and a senior officer would be appointed to register an FIR in this regard. Further hearing was adjourned till May 16.

In a surprise move, Rangers detained Imran Khan from the high court in an operation that lasted barely three minutes and whisked him away in a black vehicle.

The PTI chief was scheduled to appear before the IHC chief justice in connection with his petitions seeking to quash FIRs registered against him at the Ramna police station for inciting mutiny and with the Secretariat police over violence outside the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Mr Khan also appeared before an anti-terrorism court and the judge confirmed his bail in seven different cases.

In addition, Mr Khan sought pre-arrest interim bail from the IHC in a National Acco­un­tability Bureau (NAB) investigation on charges of corruption in the Al-Qadir University Trust case.

Mr Khan was required to conduct biometric verification at the diary branch of the IHC, but the Rangers contingent arrested him in the same case while he was completing this process.

In its case, NAB alleged that the PTI government struck a deal with Malik Riaz that caused a loss of more than $239m to the national exchequer, in a quid pro quo arrangement with the real estate businessman. In December 2019, Britain’s National Crime Agency had accepted a settlement offer of £190m, which included a UK property -1 Hyde Park Place, London, W2 2LH.

It was valued approximately at £50m and all of the funds landed in the frozen accounts of Malik Riaz. Later, former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife were accused of accepting billions in cash and hundreds of kanals of land from Bahria Town in return for the help that Mr Khan’s government extended to Malik Riaz during the NCA investigation against him.

The arrest created a wave of unrest among the PTI lawyers present in the IHC to welcome Imran Khan. Chief Justice Aamer Far­ooq took up the matter and summoned the secretary of the interior, the Islamabad police chief, and the additional attorney general.

During the hearing, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and advocate Ali Bukhari, who accompanied Mr Khan, recalled the events leading up to the arrest of their client.

Barrister Gohar told the court that Mr Khan was sitting in the diary branch to complete the verification process when some officials of Rangers appeared all of a sudden and tried to enter the office. However, when they found that the door was locked, they broke the windows and used pepper spray to discourage resistance.

Barrister Gohar stated that one of the personnel struck Mr Khan on the head and another kicked his injured leg. He said that the officials then dragged PTI chairman from the said office to shift him into their vehicle.

Advocate Bukhari said that he was with Mr Khan in the ATC and then came with him to the IHC. He further said that Mr Khan’s movement was also being monitored through a drone.

Mr Bukhari told the court that after the Rangers used pepper spray, he could not see what happened and he also got injured in this incident. According to him, the Rangers smashed the windows and hurled abuses at Mr Khan.

During the hearing, IHC Chief Justice observed that this matter is against the dignity and independence of the court, and anything beyond set parameters will not be tolerated and any person whether a minister or prime minister if found responsible will be taken to the task.

Advocate Khawaja Haris Ahmed argued that Mr Khan learnt that the inquiry in Al Qadir Trust was upgraded into an investigation on April 30 through a newspaper. He asserted that Mr Khan was seeking pre-arrest bail and also filed a petition before the IHC.

He argued that the investigation agencies show restraint in such situations and they keep waiting for the court’s orders but in this case, Mr Khan was arrested while he was resorting to legal course.

Additional attorney general Munawar Iqbal Duggal told the court that since the arrest has been made, the counsel could approach the accountability court to redress grievances.

“This is not simple as such,” remarked Justice Farooq. He then summoned director general and prosecutor general of NAB and adjourned the hearing.

When the hearing was resumed, NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi told the court that the bureau asked the federal government for Mr Khan’s arrest after serving him repeated call-up notices.