Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 30, 2025

Ex-PM Imran Khan handed over to accountability watchdog for investigation in land bribe case

Ex-PM Imran Khan handed over to accountability watchdog for investigation in land bribe case

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was on Wednesday handed over by an accountability court to the national anti-graft watchdog on eight-day physical remand for investigation in a case in which he and his wife are accused of receiving land worth millions of dollars as a bribe from a real estate tycoon through a charitable trust.
Khan was presented before Judge Mohammed Bashir in the Al-Qadir Trust case at Islamabad Police Lines, which was given the status of a court late on Tuesday night.

Bashir ordered the eight-day remand in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau and directed officials to present Khan in court on May 17.

The former prime minister’s lawyer Sher Afzal Khan Marwat told Arab News after the verdict: “Khan has given a message to me for the Pakistani public and he asked me to tell you in the same words. We told him the nation has come out on the streets and your arrest is being condemned.

“He (Khan) said: ‘Tell the nation that if martial law is imposed by (army chief) Asim Munir, you have to stand strongly for the rule of law.’”

The Al-Qadir Trust, owned by Khan and his third wife, runs a university outside Islamabad devoted to spirituality and Islamic teachings. The project is inspired by Khan’s wife, commonly known as Bushra Bibi, who has a reputation as a spiritual healer.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a press conference on Tuesday that the trust was a front for Khan to receive valuable land as a bribe from a real estate developer, who is one of Pakistan’s richest and most powerful businessmen. The trust has nearly 60 acres of land worth 7 billion Pakistani rupees ($24.7 million) and another large piece of land in Islamabad close to Khan’s hilltop home, the minister said.

The 60-acre parcel is the official site of the university but very little has been built there.

Aide Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday the land bribe charges were trumped-up.

Just hours after Khan was remanded in police custody in the Al-Qadir Trust case, his lawyer confirmed the former prime minister had been indicted in a separate case involving the sale of state gifts, popularly called the Toshakhana reference.

He told the media: “We have boycotted the court proceedings and Khan has also not signed the documents.”

Khan was arrested on Tuesday from inside the premises of the Islamabad High Court, triggering protests across the country by impassioned supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, arguably the most popular in the country.

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday heard a case on whether Khan’s arrest from within the court premises was legal, and ruled late in the evening that it was.

The PTI on Wednesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the IHC ruling. The petition was rejected by the SC.

PTI leader Asad Umar was also arrested at the judicial complex in Islamabad on Wednesday morning after he had arrived to submit a plea to meet Khan. It was unclear on what charges he was arrested.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
×