PTI chief answers to summons says move to switch inquiry into probe is ‘illegal’ after Imran ignores NAB’s summons for today in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and ex-prime minister Imran Khan skipped Thursday’s scheduled appearance before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust investigation.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) called on PTI head Imran Khan to cooperate with its probe into the scandal in a call-up notice delivered to him two days ago, citing an order from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that granted Imran bail in the case on May 12.
On May 9, paramilitary Rangers, acting on a warrant obtained by NAB, detained Imran Khan at the IHC, sparking huge protests and acts of destruction and burning.
The PTI challenged the detention in the Supreme Court, and on May 11 a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court deemed the arrest unconstitutional, clearing the way for the PTI head to apply for bail from the IHC in a number of matters, including the NAB case.
NAB demanded that Imran personally attend at the anti-graft watchdog’s Rawalpindi headquarters today at 10 am with all relevant documents. Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Imran’s accountability aide, was also called in by the watchdog to attend at their Rawalpindi headquarters on May 22.
British National Crime Agency (NCA) applications, copies of court orders, documents of funds freezing orders, related parties, agreements between the Government of Pakistan and the NCA, details of mutual contacts, Al-Qadir University registration, acquisition of land, funds, details of all contracts, and donations were among the documents Imran was required to provide.
Imran responded in writing to the summons orders, stating that he is unable to leave Lahore until May 22 since the IHC has granted him pre-arrest release in multiple cases.
The PTI head further demanded to view the inquiry report, calling NAB’s decision to switch the investigation to an inquiry unlawful and contrary to NAB laws.
The government specifically claims that Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, got land from a real estate magnate through the Al-Qadir Trust that was worth millions of dollars as a bribe. Bushra and Imran founded the trust, a non-governmental welfare organization, in 2018 when Imran was prime minister. A spiritual and Islamic studies university is managed by the trust just outside of Islamabad.
At a news conference on May 9, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that Imran Khan used the trust as a sham to acquire prime real estate from a corrupt developer.
According to the minister, the trust owns over 60 acres of land in Lahore worth Rs7 billion, as well as another significant piece of land in Islamabad near Imran Khan’s hilltop residence. The university’s designated site is a 60-acre plot in the Jhelum district of Punjab, but thus far, construction has been little.
Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb has also questioned the legitimacy of funds donated to the organization’s ongoing operations. “The trust received Rs180 million for operational expenses, but records showed only Rs8.52 million on the books,” she claimed.
The government claims the 190 million pounds that Britain returned to Pakistan in 2019 after the real estate tycoon forfeited cash and properties to resolve a British investigation into whether they were proceeds of crime were the seed money for the plot.
According to the report, the money wasn’t deposited into the Pakistani treasury but rather used to settle a court case in which a real estate developer was found guilty of acquiring government property in Karachi at below market value.