ISLAMABAD: Incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan has requested a personal appearance and live streaming of the Supreme Court proceedings concerning his petition against the amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) introduced by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.
A week prior, Khan appeared before the Supreme Court via video link as a petitioner in this matter but was not granted the opportunity to speak. His counsel informed media persons on Wednesday that Khan submitted an application to the court through Adiala jail authorities.
After a hearing of a GBP190 million corruption reference, the PTI founding chairman addressed reporters, stating, “I have a match on May 30 in the Supreme Court.” He recounted his multiple convictions before the February 8 elections and highlighted that despite negative propaganda, the public voted overwhelmingly for the PTI. He claimed the returning officers of Islamabad were overwhelmed, suggesting a significant victory for his party in the city.
Khan argued that election tribunals should have delivered their verdicts by now, given that it has been over three months since the general election. He criticized the Punjab government’s defamation law as an attempt to silence the media and restrict press freedom, contrasting it with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s approach, which he claimed has not involved false legal cases.
The former premier accused the authorities of intimidating the PTI and preventing public gatherings, stating his awareness of those responsible for an attack on Raoof Hassan. He called for his party to prepare for street protests in response to the incident, although he noted the PTI’s current restraint due to the fragile state of the economy.
Khan lambasted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for asking the nation to make sacrifices, arguing that a leader should only make such requests if they have personally sacrificed for the country. He accused the Sharif family and Asif Zardari of hoarding wealth abroad and demanded they repatriate their funds to Pakistan.
He praised the judiciary for upholding the rule of law and for demonstrating independence and commitment to justice. Khan mentioned that the funds from selling Toshakhana gifts were used to construct the Banigala road and expressed appreciation for the release of PTI Central President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, acknowledging Elahi’s resilience and suggesting his earlier release if he had severed ties with the PTI.
Cipher Case Developments
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) could not conclude the hearing on appeals by Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi against their conviction in the cipher case due to the absence of Special Prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah, who was unable to attend because of his mother’s illness.
An IHC division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Minagul Hassan Aurangzeb, resumed hearing the appeals. Meanwhile, another Special Prosecutor, Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, submitted an application to place additional evidence on record, arguing the prosecution’s right to present new evidence received after the trial concluded, as permitted by law. Justice Aurangzeb remarked that the application appeared to be a tactic to delay the hearing further.
Justice Farooq directed the prosecution to conclude their arguments by Thursday. The court also scrutinized the state counsel representing Khan and Qureshi during cross-examination, following the trial court judge’s prohibition on defense counsel using delaying tactics. Lead defense counsel Barrister Salman Safdar stated that the defense had no objections to the state counsel’s procedures.