Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has declared that the country has turned into a police state, claiming that the current situation is even more oppressive than the martial laws under former leaders Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf.
In a candid discussion with journalists while in Adiala jail, Khan expressed his views on recent Supreme Court decisions regarding reserved seats. He noted, “The NAB amendment case was ongoing, but when we requested hearings on our petitions, they were ignored.”
Khan alleged that there is a concerted effort to exclude PTI from upcoming elections and to undermine the party’s influence. “At this point, all has been disclosed, and the truth is clear.” He asserted that the Practice and Procedure Act was intended to manage cases in an undemocratic manner.
He announced plans for a protest on Thursday advocating for judicial independence, stating, “We have our own protest scheduled for Friday and will hold a rally in Rawalpindi on Saturday. We will protest even if we’re not allowed to.”
The former prime minister asserted that the lower judiciary is entirely under control. “If a judge is not compliant, he gets transferred. When a judge began addressing the May 9 cases, he was also removed,” he charged.
In other news, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur met Khan in jail.
Meanwhile, the Special Accountability Court’s Judge Nasir Javed Rana postponed the hearing in the Al-Qadir Trust reference due to the absence of a defense lawyer. This delay once again hindered the cross-examination of the final witness in the case, leading to an adjournment until Wednesday. Both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were present at the hearing, alongside lawyers from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Defense attorneys requested the adjournment due to Bushra Bibi’s lawyer being unwell, but the NAB prosecutor opposed this, arguing that 12 lawyers had already submitted legal documentation for the accused and that the final witness, who had appeared in 23 hearings, still needed to be cross-examined.
The court expressed frustration over the request for a delay, warning that this would be the last chance to complete the cross-examination before adjourning the proceedings until Wednesday. The Islamabad High Court has temporarily stopped the trial court from issuing its final judgment but has not halted the trial itself.
