Pakistan: Anti-terrorism court rejects Imran Khan’s petition seeking halt in court proceedings

Islamabad, Sep 23 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday rejected former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s petition, requesting for stopping court proceedings in May 9 case linked to the attack on General Headquarters (GHQ), local media reported.

ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah heard the case over two pleas filed by Imran Khan, requesting the court to give CCTV footage of the court proceedings on September 19 and halting the proceedings till the High Court’s order on the transfer of jail trial, leading Pakistani daily ‘The News International’ reported. Khan was virtually present during the hearing in the court.

During the hearing, PTI founder’s lawyer Faisal Malik stated that they do not want to attend court proceedings without holding consultation with Imran Khan. In response to Imran Khan’s lawyer, the court said, “During the last hearing, you consulted with the PTI founder who [then] boycotted the proceedings.”

While requesting the court to give more time to challenge court’s previous order, the lawyer said, “[A] WhatsApp call cannot be considered as [attendance] via a video link.” In response, the court stated, “You can challenge it [however] the court proceedings cannot be stopped.”

Prosecutor said that the defence lawyers do not attend court hearing and then request for more time the next day and stressed that their conduct indicates that “they are not serious about the trial,” adding that the defence team was wasting court’s time.

In response to prosecutor Zaheer Shah’s argument that raising question over the court’s order amounted to contempt of court, Imran Khan’s lawyer Faisal Malik contended that they were just requesting for a fair trial. He further said, “If the suspect cannot listen to his lawyer and vice versa, how is this a fair trial.”

Regarding defence team’s request for the CCTV footage, prosecutor Zaheer said that footage and the transcript cannot be provided to anyone as per the directives issued by the Lahore High Court. In response to this, Khan’s lawyer Salman Akram Raja argued that the court functions as per the constitution and not the instructions given by government. After hearing arguments of both sides, the court rejected Imran Khan’s pleas and adjourned the hearing till September 17.

Last December, Imran Khan and several other PTI workers were indicted in the GHQ attack case linked to the May 9 protests. More than 143 individuals, including Khan, have been named as accused in the case while 23, including Zulfi Bukhari, Shahbaz Gill and Murad Saeed, were listed as fugitives. Furthermore, all accused have been prohibited from travelling abroad.

Protests erupted in Pakistan on May 9, 2023, following Imran Khan arrest in the £190 million settlement case. Hundreds of PTI leaders and workers were arrested for violence and targeting military installations, including the Jinnah House and General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

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