Court restricts Imran, wife’s critical rhetoric

Orders media to limit coverage to its proceedings

ISLAMABAD:

An accountability court in Islamabad on Thursday prohibited PTI founding chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi from issuing statements against state institutions as well as their officials during its proceedings.

During the hearing of a petition seeking a fair trial, Judge Basir Javed Rana ordered Imran and his spouse not to even utter anything in the courtroom that hinted at targeting state institutions.

According to the order, Imran made provocative political statements against state institutions including the military, judiciary as well as the army chief.

It added that such statements disrupted judicial decorum and obstructed its functions including the dispensation of justice.

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The order further read that during the jail trial of the PTI founding chairman, the media would limit its coverage to court proceedings and not report the statements of the accused.

The judge in his order also instructed the prosecution, accused and their defence lawyers not to pass political or inflammatory remarks, which might disrupt the decorum of the court.

The media was also ordered to refrain from publishing political and inflammatory narratives targeting state institutions and their officials and asked to adhere to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (Pemra) guidelines, which prohibited discussing ongoing court cases.

Earlier, the deposed premier claimed that “premeditated rigging” had marred the by-elections in Punjab, accusing the provincial police chief of indulging in the act.