Imran Khan
In a recent address, former Prime Minister Imran Khan urged his party to actively engage in electioneering, raising concerns about the transparency of the upcoming Feb 8 elections.
He asserted that the ‘preferential treatment’ given to a particular political party has transformed these elections into the ‘mother of all selections.’ These remarks were made during his regular interaction with reporters following the cipher case hearing at Adiala Jail.
However, the interaction was abruptly halted when the jail superintendent, Asad Warraich, instructed Mr. Khan not to address the media in the makeshift courtroom. Mr. Khan insisted on his right to speak to the media, but Mr. Warraich reminded him that journalists were allowed to cover the case proceedings, not his political statements. The PTI leader agreed to discuss only his trial and was instructed to seek permission from the judge for any media interactions.
DIG Prisons Rana Rauf later arrived and asked reporters to leave as the proceedings had concluded. The media was escorted out, with Mr. Khan protesting what he perceived as ‘censorship.’
Earlier, Mr. Khan criticized the upcoming elections as the ‘mother of all selections,’ accusing Nawaz Sharif of being a “certified money launderer” with support from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government.
Mr. Khan also called for a PTI protest the following Sunday. Notably, he and several others, including his spouse Bushra Bibi, are facing a reference in the National Accountability Bureau related to alleged money laundering.
During the cipher case hearing, four witnesses, including ex-foreign secretary Sohail Mehmood and former interior secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, gave statements. Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi criticized the prosecutor for ‘leading’ witnesses, praising Sohail Mehmood’s integrity.
Mr. Khan joined in, accusing everyone of “trying to rescue Donald Lu,” referring to discussions involving US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Lu. The court adjourned proceedings till the next day, with Mr. Khan’s counsel noting his unavailability due to an election campaign.
In a separate development, the Islamabad High Court sought details about the jail trial of Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in Toshakhana and Al Qadir Trust references.
The court declined immediate relief and stated it would examine the federal government’s notification regarding the jail trial to rectify any loopholes. The hearing was adjourned, with the accountability judge Mohammad Bashir, who was hearing both references, having applied for post-retirement leave due in March.
