The apex court on Thursday ordered Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan to file by August 28 a report on the living conditions of former prime Imran Khan at the Attock Jail cell where he has been languishing since his conviction on August 5.
A three-member special bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial issued this order while hearing the PTI chief’s appeal against an August 4 order of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
During the hearing, the CJP inquired about the conditions in which Imran Khan lived in the jail. “An official written response should be given regarding his living conditions in the jail,” he said.
The chief justice said the federal government should also provide a written response about the facilities being provided to the PTI chairman.
The bench which on Wednesday raised questions about the trial court’s verdict and noted that it had “serious defects”, however, adjourned the case for an indefinite period.
It said it would take up the petition once the IHC decides Imran’s appeal against his conviction.
“The high court is hearing the case and we will wait for its decision. Let's see what decision the IHC makes. The IHC may give relief to the petitioner [Imran Khan]. Let the high court decide the case first. We will hear the appeal after it issues its order,” he noted.
Later in a written order, the court said: “Learned counsel for the petitioner, Latif Khosa, has informed [us] that proceedings are in progress before the high court on, inter alia, matters in issues as envisaged by our order of yesterday [August 23].
“In the above circumstances, it would be appropriate to await the order of the high court before proceedings further in these petitions.”
During the hearing, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, a member of the bench, remarked that it is very distressing to him when lawyers make statements against the high court.
“The Supreme Court's jurisdiction does not extend to the lower courts, magistrates, or high courts. From magistrates to high courts, all are respectable for us. No court should consider itself under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday maintained its stay order against the arrest of the PTI chief in a murder case. A three-member bench led by CJP Bandial heard the petition against addition of Imran Khan’s name in a first information report (FIR) filed after the murder of a lawyer in Quetta.
During the proceedings, Justice Mandokhail asked if the accused had joined the investigation as per the direction of the Balochistan High Court. He said the accused had to state whether he would join the investigation or not.
Latif Khosa said his client wouldn’t appear before the joint investigation team (JIT) formed to investigate the murder. He said the anti-terrorism law could not be applied in this case to the PTI chairman.
Lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Quetta on June 6. The son of the slain lawyer had named four people in the FIR, including Imran Khan.
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