Reference against Isa was a ‘mistake’: Imran

PTI to file petition in IHC today challenging harassment of party’s social media activists

ISLAMABAD:

Former premier Imran Khan has admitted that the filing of a presidential reference for the removal of Supreme Court’s Justice Qazi Faez Isa was a mistake.

The former prime minister conceded his “mistake” during a meeting with the Insaf Lawyers Forum (ILF) members on Tuesday.

The purpose of the meeting was to activate the party’s legal wing in the present scenario wherein the PTI’s social media activists were being harassed by the law enforcement agencies.

Several participants of the meeting have confirmed to The Express Tribune that the ex-PM admitted that the filing of a presidential reference against Justice Isa was a mistake as the then relevant officials had misguided his government about the facts of the case.

Imran was not interested in pursuing the reference against the SC judge for the last couple of years. It has been learnt that former attorney general for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan had convinced him that Justice Isa was an honest judge and he was misled in this case.

A senior PTI lawyer said that Imran believed that one section within the superior judiciary was annoyed with the party because of the filing of the reference against Justice Isa. “Even though the architect of that reference was someone else,” the lawyer added.

However, senior lawyers say that Imran, being the chief executive of the country, could not be absolved as the reference was filed on his instructions.

Separately, PTI Secretary Asad Umar has announced that a petition would be filed in the Islamabad High Court challenging the harassment of the party’s social media activists on Thursday |(today).

PTI Islamabad District President Ali Nawaz Awan will file the petition through Advocate Chaudhry Faisal Hussain.

The draft of the petition, available with The Express Tribune, read: “The IHC is requested to immediately stop the unlawful and illegal raids and harassment of the party workers.”

The petition prayed the IHC to act strictly within the four corners of the Constitution and law and to refrain from violating and disrespecting the privacy, honour of the families and households of the political workers and preserve the sanctity thereof.

“The actions of the respondent Federal Investigation Agency and the police may very graciously be held illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional as well as in violation of the court’s directions passed pursuant to the judgement dated 03.11.2020 in W.P 2939/2020, titled Rana Muhammad Ashraf Versus Federation of Pakistan.”.

The petition stated that with the change of regime, the party had been targeted by the respondents on behest of their political opponents. Therefore, an onslaught has been unleashed upon the party activists, especially the social media users who openly support PTI. This alarming fact of harassment and illegal raids and has been brought to the notice of the party leadership by different party activists including the users of Twitter and other social media platforms including Facebook etc.

“It is also on the record that many social media activists belonging to Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf including (but not limited to) Dr Arsalan Khalid, Azhar Mashwani, Muhammad Waqas, Salar Sultanzai, Wasif Kazmi and many others along with their families have been harassed on behest of the ruling party and threatened by the officials of the respondent authorities for dire consequences to aid and help to satisfy the political vendetta against the workers of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf, especially those who are associated with the profession of journalism and using social media platforms to provide general public with correct and unfeigned facts of the state affairs. The proof of this harassment, in the form of the messages of the victims on the social media, has been placed on record."

The petition further read that the respondents had avoided revealing the details about the alleged criminal offences and also intently concealing the details of law under which the houses of the party activists had been raided and their families subjected to humiliation and unlawful harassment.

It also stated that the respondents were impeding the fundamental right of freedom of expression and free speech to appease their new owners.

“The respondents have miserably failed to abide by their legal and constitutional duties. The respondents have involved in the impunity for crimes against its citizens, particularly those who are engaged in the profession of journalism, using social media as platform to keep masses informed regarding the political situation in the country.”

The plea read that the officials of the FIA Cyber Crime Wing and police officials fearlessly violated the directions and orders of this court and willfully disobeyed its mandatory commands.

“Hence, [they] are liable to be proceeded against under the contempt of court and all other enabling laws that are enforceable for the time being in Pakistan."