Hopes of Imran’s early release dashed

Ex-PM, wife arrested after acquittal in Iddat case

Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife were arrested on Saturday evening in a new reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) a few hours after the couple were acquitted by a court in what’s commonly known as the ‘Iddat case’, thus dashing the hopes of thousands of their supporters who were looking forward to their release from jail.

This is not the first time that high hopes of Mr Khan’s freedom have been dashed. According to an analyst, such episodes show clearly that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supremo will remain in prison until a deal is worked out between the former premier and the leading lights of the establishment.

The analyst was of the opinion that the authorities have several cases before them — the May 9 troubles, the 190-million-pound corruption case, the Toshakhana references, etc. — in which to keep Mr Khan and Bushra Bibi entangled until such time as is necessary. It’s no coincidence that NAB used a Toshakhana reference to keep the couple behind bars, he added.

A NAB team headed by Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon arrested Mr Khan and his wife at Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, several news channels confirmed. The NAB team also recorded the initial statements of the PTI founder and his spouse.

The development came after the Islamabad district and sessions court accepted the appeals filed by the couple against their conviction in the Iddat case. They had been sentenced to seven years in prison and awarded a fine of Rs500,000 each in February this year after a trial court had found their nikah to be fraudulent.

In a related development, a team of Lahore police reached the same prison to interrogate Mr Khan in the May 9 cases. The team, headed by an SP and including investigation officers, had obtained permission from the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi to conduct an investigation.

According to sources, the police will arrest PTI leaders and workers after completing the investigation.