Khawaja Haris quits PTI’s legal team

Citing concerns over “disciplinary issues”, Khawaja Haris, the PTI’s ace lawyer, has parted ways with the party’s legal team, deciding not to represent its chief Imran Khan anymore in different cases against him in the courts.

After the head of the PTI’s legal team quit from his position, Imran will be represented by senior lawyer Latif Khosa and others – particularly in the Toshakhana (gift repository) case to be heard by the Islamabad High Court on Friday (today).

According to sources, Haris distanced himself from the PTI’s legal team after the party’s decision to adopt an aggressive policy towards IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.

Haris had advised the PTI’s legal team not to raise objections over the judge, who would hear the deposed premier’s plea against his conviction in the Toshakhana case by a lower court.

Read more: PTI hires Khawaja Haris for Toshakhana case

However, other members of the team, while ignoring their head, decided to raise objections over the IHC CJ hearing Imran’s petition challenging the trial court’s judgment.

Haris was unhappy over the interference of other team members in his decisions made in the capacity as their head.

The sources said Haris had returned the files of all the cases against the PTI chief to the party’s legal team and would not represent him in the Supreme Court or the IHC.

On Tuesday, the PTI asked the IHC CJ to recuse himself from hearing the Toshakhana case against its chief and also announced that the party would file a reference against the judge while “vehemently denouncing” the court’s decision to adjourn the hearing of Imran’s plea against his conviction.

In response to the IHC’s proceedings earlier in the day, the PTI Core Committee, while referring to Justice Farooq, said a person who appeared to be “influenced by bias” should neither hold the position of the chief justice, nor be entrusted with the responsibility of delivering justice.

Also read: Nawaz’s former lawyer to plead Imran’s case

Later in a petition moved in the SC on Wednesday, the PTI chief levelled serious allegations against Justice Farooq, accusing him of "deep and settled bias" as he requested the apex court to transfer all his cases being adjudicated in the IHC to other high courts.

The PTI chief had hired the services of Haris to represent him in the Toshakhana, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law amendments and other cases in the SC, IHC, and other courts.

Earlier, in his plea moved in the IHC, the PTI chief contended that he was dissatisfied with the order passed by Additional Sessions Judge Islamabad (West) Humayun Dilawar on Aug 5, wherein he was sentenced under Article 174 of the Elections Act, 2017 to three years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs100,000. The trial court also disqualified him for five years, apparently ending his prospects for taking part in the elections slated for November this year.

In his petition, Imran maintained that the verdict was not sustainable and liable to be set aside.

According to the trial court’s verdict, Imran committed the offense of “corrupt practices” by making and publishing false declarations in respect of assets he had acquired by way of gifts from the Toshakhana during the years 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-21.