Court orders to arrange Imran Khan;s phone call with his sons

Rawalpindi: During a hearing of the £190 million reference against former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, an Islamabad accountability court has directed the Adiala Jail administration to arrange a phone call between Imran Khan and his children.

The hearing was conducted by Judge Nasir Javed Rana at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were presented before the court during the proceedings.

Representing the defendants, lawyers Usman Gul and Chaudhry Zaheer Abbas appeared in court, while the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was represented by Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi along with his team.

During the hearing, the defense lawyers cross-examined the investigation officer in the £190 million reference. Imran Khan approached the court twice during the session—first, to complain about the prevention of lawyers, family members, and media representatives from attending the proceedings, and second, to raise the issue of being denied communication with his sons over the phone.

Imran Khan argued that despite the court's orders, the jail administration had not allowed him to speak with his sons for three weeks. He requested the court to set a specific day and time each week for this communication and to enforce the order strictly.

In response to his complaint, the court summoned Deputy Superintendent Jail Tahir Shah, asking why the communication with Imran Khan’s sons was not being facilitated. Deputy Superintendent Shah explained that they had attempted to connect the call, but Imran Khan's sons were not available. He assured the court that a fixed day could be arranged for the calls in consultation with the jail superintendent.

Imran Khan, addressing Deputy Superintendent Shah, urged him to act sensibly, given his educated background. Later, Imran Khan, with a smile, joked with the media that if the calls were not facilitated, the deputy superintendent might also "disappear" like another official, referring to a previous incident.

Subsequently, the court ordered the jail administration to ensure that Imran Khan is able to speak with his sons over the phone.

The defense's cross-examination of the investigation officer, Umar Nadeem, in the £190 million reference could not be completed during the session. The defense will continue their cross-examination tomorrow. Additionally, the court will hear the post-arrest bail plea of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana reference.

The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.