PTI slams harsh conditions faced by Imran in custody

Core committee censures ‘kangaroo court’ actions in false cases against chief

LAHORE:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has vehemently decried what it termed the “unlawful, unconstitutional, and inhumane treatment” endured by former premier and PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who is now considered a “prisoner of conscience” during his incarceration.

On Monday, the PTI core committee strongly criticised the ongoing actions of what it referred to as "kangaroo courts" handling “false and fabricated cases” against Imran Khan.

The committee expressed profound scepticism about the role played by judges responsible for delivering justice to the former premier at various levels.

The committee pointed out that earlier instances, such as the conduct of Judge Humayun Dilawar and Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Amir Farooq in the Toshakhana Case, “exhibited clear bias”.

It further contended that the conduct of Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain, presiding over the cipher case, was also “highly prejudiced and inimical to justice and fairness”.

The committee noted that Imran Khan's cases had been entrusted to judges who, in its view, “facilitated” unconstitutional and undemocratic state elements, thereby placing law and justice in the “rear view mirror”.

The committee deplored the transformation of courts into "kangaroo courts" through the involvement of “compromised judges” lacking professional integrity and ethical values, terming it highly detrimental.

The committee emphasised that Imran Khan, as both a client and chairman of the country's “largest political party”, had unequivocally expressed a lack of confidence in IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq.

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It alleged that the IHC chief justice had developed a tradition of withholding judgments on critical legal matters, thereby denying Imran Khan access to justice.

Furthermore, the committee revealed that a petition against Justice Amir Farooq was pending in the Supreme Court.

It called upon the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) to “promptly” take note of judicial interference by “compromised judges” in subordinate courts.

The committee urged the CJP to expedite the hearing of the pending petition against Justice Aamir Farooq and safeguard Imran Khan's right to a fair trial by entrusting the cases to impartial judges.

During the core committee meeting, the top judge was also requested to take “immediate notice of the suspension of the Constitution, deviations from it, and the evasion of elections within the stipulated constitutional period of 90 days”.

The committee lamented that the nation had been “deprived” of its Constitution, with the Supreme Court allocating valuable time and resources to matters of “lesser significance”.

It underscored that the state's survival and development hinged entirely on upholding the Constitution's paramount status and the rule of law.