Jemima ‘happy’ over Imran Khan’s release

Former prime minister Imran Khan’s ex-wife film producer Jemima Goldsmith has shared her happiness over the Supreme Court’s order to release the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman.

Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday by Rangers personnel — acting on the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) warrant — in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The IHC, which took notice of Khan’s arrest, later termed it “legal”. Subsequently, the PTI moved the Supreme Court for their chairman’s release.

The top court declared Khan’s arrest “illegal” and ordered his immediate release Thursday.

Reacting to the SC order, Goldsmith, who lives in the United Kingdom with her sons, tweeted: “Finally sense has prevailed.”

She also added an emoji of hands folded in prayer as well as the Pakistani flag.

The former prime minister, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, is facing a NAB inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, Khan and other accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — 190 million pounds at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

They are also accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, to establish Al Qadir University.

Khan was arrested from the IHC when he appeared for hearings on his bail petitions in other cases. Following his arrest, violent protests erupted across the country, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people and damage to infrastructure.