- Court orders NAB team to present Imran and Bushra on August 8.
- “NAB officials are sellouts who’d do anything for money,” says Khan.
- NAB prosecutor general warns PTI founder “not to get personal”.
RAWALPINDI: An accountability court in Rawalpindi has extended the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi by 10 days in a Toshakhana case.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had presented the couple before the court after the expiry of their previous seven-day remand and submitted a progress report on the newly filed case to the judge.
The hearing was attended by NAB Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi and the investigative deputy director of the case Mohsin Haroon.
During the hearing, the defence lawyer Salman Safdar opposed the extension in remand sought by the anti-graft body’s team.
The hearing also witnessed an altercation between the incarcerated former prime minister and NAB prosecutor general.
“My wife has no links with the Toshakhana, why is she being punished,” Imran said, adding that the former first lady wasn’t a public office holder while he served on the post of premier.
“The NAB officials are sellouts who would do anything for money,” he jibed.
The remarks offended Abbasi, who warned Imran “not to get personal with me” and talk about the case.
He said he had never discussed anything “personal” about the PTI founder.
The NAB prosecutor challenged Imran to buy a complete dinner and tea set for Rs30,000 from Rawalpindi’s Raja Bazar, as he referred to the state gifts the former PM had received from the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“Did Muhammad bin Salman gift you a dinner set and tea set worth Rs30,000,” Abbasi asked the cricketer-turned-politician.
At this point, the court took a break during the hearing and resumed the proceedings afterward.
Upon the resumption, Imran apologised to Abbasi for his remarks, which was accepted by the latter.
After the completion of arguments, the court adjourned the proceedings till August 8, directing the NAB team to present Imran and Bushra on the next hearing.
The 71-year-old PTI founding chairman has been in prison for almost a year after he was booked in a plethora of cases, including the Toshakhana, cipher, and the un-Islamic marriage. His wife, Bushra, has also been behind bars for months.
However, a court suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case, while other courts overturned his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases, respectively.
While there were hopes for Imran and Bushra’s release in July, they were dashed when NAB arrested them on fresh charges related to the sale of state gifts.
The chances of Imran’s release from jail further dimmed after he was arrested in new cases linked to the May 9, 2023, riots, following his acquittal in the iddat case.
