https://arab.news/cekqd
- Islamabad High Court has asked Imran Khan to explain his position after he allegedly threatened a magistrate
- The former PM was also booked in an antiterrorism case following a speech at a public rally in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to ex-premier Imran Khan and summoned him in personal capacity on August 31 in a contempt case after he issued controversial remarks against a female district magistrate while addressing a public rally last week.
The former prime minister, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, threatened top Islamabad police officials along with the magistrate during the rally on Saturday, saying his chief of staff, Dr. Shahbaz Gill, had been “physically and mentally tortured” after being arrested in a sedition case.
The police in the federal capital also booked Khan under the anti-terrorism act following his address, though he was given a protective bail in the case until August 25.
Taking notice of his speech against the district magistrate, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decided on Monday to initiate contempt proceedings against Khan in the case.
During the hearing, a three-member bench, headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, issued the notice to the PTI chief and summoned him on August 31 in personal capacity to explain his position.
“A female additional sessions judge who is hearing thousands of cases including murder, dacoity and other cases of sensitive nature has been threatened,” Justice Kayani remarked during the hearing. “This matter is not limited to only a female judge of Islamabad, but the whole judiciary has been maligned.”
The court directed the Islamabad police to provide additional security to the judge while the matter was referred to the chief justice to constitute a larger bench in the case.
Advocate General Islamabad Jahangir Jadoon informed the court the judge had yet to give a verdict in Gill’s case when the former prime minister decided to “threaten” her.
The advocate general also submitted a miscellaneous application in the court, seeking permission to put some additional documents on the record on behalf of the state.
He urged the court to allow him to place relevant material in the case like “video clips and previous statements of the respondent [Khan] on electronic and digital media on the record,” saying they would be helpful for the bench while deciding the case.
He also sought the court’s permission in the application to “display different statements” of Khan on different occasions while he was still the prime minister until his ouster in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April this year.
Khan has since campaigned for new elections and refused to accept the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, a PTI spokesperson, on Monday dismissed all accusations against Khan as “politically motivated,” telling reporters they were being used to block the former premier from leading anti-government rallies.
The use of anti-terrorism laws to file cases against political leaders is not uncommon in Pakistan where Khan’s own administration also used these regulations against its opponents and critics.
The PTI leader has held massive public rallies since the fall of his administration, seeking early elections in the country.
The government has, however, ruled out the possibility of holding fresh polls before finishing its tenure next year in August.