Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on Saturday after being found guilty in the Toshakhana case and sentenced to three years in prison. Lahore Police arrested the former PM from his Zaman Park residence. After his arrest, he was kept in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail, from where he was taken by road to Attock Jail in Attock City. Let us tell you that this is the same jail where former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was kept after his arrest after being ousted by General Pervez Musharraf.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Sunday alleged that the authorities were not allowing former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s legal team to meet him to get necessary documents related to the court signed. PTI chief Khan is lodged in Attock Jail where he spent the last night for the crime of concealing the sale of government gifts. A sessions court in Islamabad pronounced the verdict in the matter.
Imran Khan’s arrest described as “kidnapping”
In a statement shared by the party on a WhatsApp group, the arrest of Imran Khan has been described as a “kidnapping”. The statement said that the Speaker’s legal team was not being allowed to meet the Superintendent of Attock Jail and the Additional Home Secretary of Punjab to get the necessary legal documents signed. It doesn’t sound like an arrest but a kidnapping. Former PM Khan was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore and taken by road to Attock, the last major city of Punjab. The border of this city is with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Initially it was expected that Imran Khan would be kept in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail but he was taken to Attock due to security reasons. After Khan’s arrest, his support did not descend on the streets as was seen during his arrest on May 9. Then thousands of supporters demonstrated. In a video message, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is leading the PTI in Imran Khan’s absence, urged workers to hit the streets but maintain peace. He said that peaceful demonstration is our right but no government property should be damaged. Do not take law in your hands.
Message from former PM of Pakistan Imran Khan
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan has also given a similar message in a pre-recorded video which the party has posted on its social media platforms but this time the response from the supporters is not so enthusiastic. Qureshi has called a meeting of PTI’s core committee to chalk out a strategy to deal with Khan’s conviction, but his options are limited. Many believe that the sessions court has given its verdict in haste as an appeal in the matter is still pending in the Islamabad High Court. Also, the court gave its verdict without hearing the arguments of PTI’s lawyers on the issue of maintainability of the case. Khan can challenge the decision in the High Court and then in the Supreme Court.
How did the corruption of crores happen?
In Pakistan, the gifts received by the Prime Minister, President or those holding other positions have to be deposited in the Toshakhana. If the gift is worth 10 thousand Pakistani rupees, then the concerned person is entitled to keep it without paying the money. If there is a gift of more than four lakhs, then only the Prime Minister or the President can buy it. If no one buys, an auction takes place. Imran played right here. Bought a gift worth two crores by telling it to be five lakhs and then sold it many times more than the actual price. Later, Imran had told the Election Commission that he had bought all these gifts from Toshakhana for Rs 2.15 crore, on selling he got Rs 5.8 crore. Later it was revealed that this amount was more than 20 crores.
with language input