• PTI leader’s legal team says observer will also be able to assess ex-PM’s condition in jail
• Property seizure proceedings in £190m reference put off

ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Parlia­mentary Union (IPU) — an international organisation of national parliaments for promotion of democratic governance, accountability and cooperation among its members — will send an observer to Pakistan to review proceedings against former prime minister Imran Khan.

Sharing details with Dawn about the IPU decision, Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, a member of Imran Khan’s legal team, said the obser­ver would see proceedings in £190 million case and Toshakhana series cases.

The lawyer claimed that the trials exemplified a campaign of ‘political persecution’ rather than legitimate legal accountability. Another focal point of their discussion with IPU would be the GHQ case, which saw Mr Khan indicted on May 9 without substantial evidence or credible legal grounds, raising further questions about the impartiality of the justice system, he added.

The IPU trial observer, scheduled to visit Pakistan in coming weeks, would have the authority to assess the conditions of Mr Khan’s detention in Adiala jail and review trial procedures. This was a pivotal step in ensuring a transparent evaluation of whether fundamental rights, such as the right to a fair trial, had been violated, he added.

£190m reference

Meanwhile, the accountability court adjourned proceedings rela­ted to the petitions against the seizure of properties belonging to accused parties in the £190m reference.

During the session, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) requested Judge Nasir Javed Rana for additional time to submit its response.

Advocate Farooq H. Naik represented a petitioner, a relative of property tycoon Malik Riaz, whose properties was also seized by NAB.

The court granted NAB’s request, scheduling the next hearing for Jan 15.

The court had already reserved verdict in this case against Mr Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi. The verdict was scheduled to announce on Dec 23 however, the judge rescheduled the date for Jan 6 when the judge proceeded on leave. The announcement of judgement was then deferred till Jan 13.

Property tycoon Malik Riaz, his son Ali Riaz Malik, former advisor on accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Farhat Shahzadi, Zulfi Bukhari and a lawyer were declared absconders in this case.

The FIA court’s special judge, meanwhile, recorded the statem­e­­nt of a prosecution witness, Tallat Mehmood, in the Tosha­kha­­na case related to Bulgari Jewelry set.

So far, statements from five prosecution witnesses have been documented, and of them the cross-examination of three witnesses has been completed. However, the cross-examination of another witness, Bin Yameen, could not be concluded during the proceedings.

Mr Khan’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, requested to defer the cross-examination, which was met with objections from the FIA special public prosecutors.

The prosecution argued that the defence lawyers, including Qasain Faisal Mufti and Bushra Bibi’s lawyer Arshad Tabrez, were present in court and insisted that the process should be completed without delay, but the court granted the defence counsel’s request to allow the continuity of the cross-examination till Jan 10.

Besides, the prosecution has planned to present two more witnesses, including NAB officers Qaiser Mahmood and Shafqat, who are expected to record their statements during the next hearing.

The court adjourned further proceedings in the case to Jan 10.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2025