Islamabad: Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), arrived at the federal capital’s judicial complex on Tuesday to attend the hearings of prohibited funding and terrorism cases filed against him.
Today, the former prime minister must attend hearings for multiple cases in three different courts. These include a prohibited funding case in a banking court, an anti-terrorism case, the Toshakhana case, and a murder attempt case in the same court.
As Khan arrived, a large number of PTI employees entered the courthouse, destroying its gate and causing chaos.
Workers from the PTI removed all barriers from Sector G-11 of the judicial complex, thereby disrupting security measures. Similarly, security has been increased at the katchehri.
Murder Attempt case
A leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) filed the case of attempted murder against Khan. Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, a leader of the PML-N, filed a case against the former prime minister at the Secretariat Police Station in the federal capital last year.
The case was filed one day after Ranjha was allegedly attacked outside the ECP office, where PTI workers and supporters were protesting the electoral body’s verdict that disqualified their party leader in the Toshakhana case.
At the previous hearing on Monday, a district and sessions court denied the former prime minister’s request to transfer the attempted murder case to the judicial complex.
Today, judge of additional sessions Zafar Iqbal heard the case. Sardar Masroof, the attorney for Khan, attended the hearing.
During the hearing, the judge asked when the head of the PTI will arrive.
The attorney responded that Khan is en route from Lahore to Islamabad by road and will arrive within the court’s deadline.
He added that he was unable to get in touch with Imran Khan and as a result, was unable to provide an exact arrival time. “Imran Khan will go to the banking court first and then will come here,” he said.
The plaintiff’s attorney then stated that “we cannot wait for you” and requested an exact time.
The hearing was then postponed until noon by the court.
Toshakhana Case
In the meantime, the Toshakhana case against the PTI chairman was heard in district and sessions court.
Both the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) lawyer Saad Hasan and Khan’s attorney Ali Bukhari were present in court.
Zafar Iqbal, the judge, presided over the case hearing.
Khan’s attorney informed the court that his client had long since left Lahore. He continued, “Imran Khan must appear before two courts in the judicial complex.”
Khan won’t be able to show up in court today, he claimed.
Bukhari requested that the hearing be postponed for five days.
The judge questioned, “Why can Imran appear in 11 courts but not at the katchehri?
He should come here and then leave because the court will file charges against him, he said.
He continued, “Khawaja Haris is the attorney representing Imran Khan in this matter, but he is not available to appear in this court today.
In the Toshakhana case, the judge requested Khan once more today.
According to reports, Ali Bukhari and Sardar Masroof, both of Khan’s attorneys, gave conflicting statements regarding Khan’s arrival.
Unlawful Funding
The proceedings for all of Khan’s cases were postponed by a banking court in Islamabad due to security reasons.
In the case involving the illegal funding, the court had summoned the PTI chairman to appear before it today.
Khan, who was removed from office in April following a vote of no-confidence, and other party leaders were the subject of a case of prohibited funding last week at the banking court under the Foreign Exchange Act.
Khan’s bail request in the case will be heard during today’s hearing, and a new date will be set for all other petitioners.
Terrorism case
Following nationwide demonstrations in response to his disqualification in the Toshakhana reference, a counterterrorism case granted interim bail to the PTI chair in the terrorism case filed against him.
Raja Jawad, an ATC judge, heard the case and issued bail until March 9.
Earlier today, Khan’s lawyer Naeem Haider Panjhota filed an interim bail plea for the former premier in the terrorism case in Islamabad’s ATC. According to the argument, Khan was being “politically victimised” by the filing of the case.
“I am in charge of a significant political party. I was arrested in a case involving terrorism, but I am not guilty of it “Prior to the case’s bail being confirmed, Khan stated in his plea that he was requesting temporary release.
The PTI leaders, including Khan, were the targets of terror cases filed by the Islamabad police after party members took to the streets and damaged government buildings.
In the cases, which were filed under 7ATA and other PPC sections at various police stations in the federal capital, hundreds of PTI members and leaders were accused of obstructing traffic and assaulting police officers at the orders of Khan, Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan, and others.
