‘Guilty’ Imran Khan arrested from Lahore after court sentences him to 3-year jail, disqualifies him for 5 years
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on Saturday, half an hour after a district and sessions court in Islamabad found him guilty and sentenced him to three-year jail and disqualified him from politics for five years in Toshakhana criminal case,
PTI leader Farrukh Habib confirmed the arrest on his X platform account, tweeting that the “active” police have arrested the PTI chief from his Lahore residence and taken him away.
He also uploaded a video in which a large number of police vehicles were shown taking Imran Khan away.
PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan also confirmed the arrest of Imran Khan.
In a tweet uploaded on Saturday, Omar Ayub Khan said peaceful protest is every Pakistani’s constitutional right.
A district and sessions court in Islamabad earlier declared PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan guilty in Toshakhana criminal case and sentenced him to three-year jail.
While pronouncing the verdict, Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar said the accused had been found indulged in “corrupt practices”, and also disqualified him from politics for five years, imposing a ban on his political activities
Slapping a fine of Rs100,000, the court ordered Islamabad inspector general of police to arrest Imran Khan immediately. In case of non-payment of fine, the PTI chief would spend another six months in prison.
According to the PTI post on social media platform X, Imran Khan was brought to Lahore Airport.
According to 24News, PTI Chairman Imran is being shifted to Islamabad.
Imran Khan being driven to Islamabad via Motorway
Islamabad Police are taking PTI Chairman Imran Khan to the federal capital via Motorway.
Earlier, police took the former prime minister to Allama Iqbal International Airport from where they wanted to fly him to Islamabad in a special plane. But due to inclement weather, they dropped the plan and now are driving the former premier to Islamabad via Motorway.
At the time of Imran Khan’s arrest by the police, his wife Bushra Bibi who was also at home put up resistance.
It was Islamabad police which arrested the PTI chief.
A special team of federal police reached Lahore a few days ago for the possible arrest of the PTI chairman.
Sources said that Imran Khan will be imprisoned in Adiala Jail and all arrangements have been finalized in this regard in the Rawalpindi prison facility.
Jail sources divulged that the PTI chief would get all facilities as per the court order.
Khan was not present for the hearing at the sessions court, and the judge ordered his arrest.
Khan is facing over 150 cases brought against him since being ousted in April last year — charges he says are politically motivated.
Khan’s legal team said they would be filing an immediate appeal.
“It’s important to mention there was no chance given to present witnesses, neither was the time allotted to round up arguments,” a member of the team said.
“I have just received the information that Imran Khan has been arrested,” Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, told reporters.
Police in Lahore said Khan had been arrested by officers from the Islamabad force.
Court proceedings
Earlier in the day, the court reserved its verdict in the Toshakhana criminal proceedings case after the PTI chairman’s lawyer failed to appear before the court. Additional Sessions Judge Hamayun Dilawar conducted the proceedings.
As the hearing of the case was resumed at 12 noon today, the judge said that he had reserved the judgment and would pronounce it at 12:30 pm today.
The hearing was adjourned three times before as the PTI chief’s lawyer Khawaja Haris Ahmad did not appear before the court.
Earlier, while giving the PTI chairman’s lawyer the last time to submit his arguments, Judge Humayun Dilawar warned that he should submit his arguments by 12 o’clock, otherwise, he would pronounce the verdict in the Toshakhana criminal proceedings case.
The hearing started after two adjournments due to the failure of the PTI chairman’s lawyer to appear in the court on time, in which Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, assistant lawyer of PTI chairman’s lawyer Khawaja Haris, appeared before Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar. He told the court that Khawaja Haris was busy in the accountability court and pleaded for more time.
Election Commission of Pakistan’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz said that the accused should be instructed to ensure his attendance. He said that Khawaja Haris was giving arguments in the accountability court. We have come to know that Khawaja Haris is scheduled to attend the hearing in the accountability court around 2:30pm today, he added.
The judge remarked that the accused had clear instructions to ensure his attendance at 8:30 am today, otherwise, an arrest warrant would be issued.
Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar, while giving the last deadline to the lawyer of the PTI chairman, remarked that he should submit his arguments by 12 o’clock, otherwise, he would pronounce the decision.
Earlier, when the hearing of the Toshakhana criminal case started in the District and Sessions Court, ECP’s lawyers Amjad Pervaiz and Saad Hasan appeared in the court, while no lawyer appeared on behalf of PTI chairman.
