Hearing of £190m scam reference: Court directs jail admin to allow Imran Khan speak with his sons on phone

The hearing of the £190 million scam reference involving founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, has been adjourned until August 30, reported 24NewsHD TV channel Thursday.

Both appeared in the courtroom as the legal proceedings continued.

During the hearing, the defence team continued their cross-examination of the investigating officer's statement. The defence also submitted two petitions—one related to a column by journalist Ansar Abbasi and the other concerning cases involving former prime ministers.

The column allegedly stated that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) converted its inquiry into an investigation on April 30, while the investigating officer claimed the report was provided to the accused on May 9. Lawyers argued that, according to NAB rules, such a report cannot be made public before being provided to the accused.

The defence requested that a copy of Ansar Abbasi's column be presented in court. During the cross-examination, the defence also questioned which prime ministers had served since 1988, which the NAB prosecutor, Amjad Pervez, deemed irrelevant.

The PTI founder, addressing the judge, expressed concerns over being unable to meet with his leading lawyers, political leaders, and family members. He claimed that since the appointment of new jail staff, obstacles have been placed in the way of these meetings. He also complained about being denied the opportunity to speak with his sons for three weeks, despite having a constitutional and legal right to do so once a week.

The court summoned Deputy Superintendent Jail Tahir Shah to the rostrum, where he explained that the PTI founder had been granted a phone call to speak with his sons, but they were not available at the time. The PTI founder rebuked the Deputy Superintendent, urging him to speak wisely given his education.

The PTI founder formally requested the court to direct the jail administration to allow him to speak with his sons. The court accepted this request and instructed the jail administration to facilitate the call. The case is being heard by Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the Accountability Court.

Reporter: Hashir Ahsan