In his first interaction with Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa through video link, former prime minister Imran Khan requested the fixation of two petitions related to violation of human rights as well as alleged massive rigging during the Feb 8 elections.
Although the majority of judges formally declined the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government's request for the live streaming of the NAB law amendments case, CJP Isa remained polite with Imran Khan during a brief dialogue at the end of the hearing. The chief justice addressed him as Mr Khan during the interaction.
Imran Khan, who was wearing a navy blue shirt, made three requests before the bench led by CJP Isa.
The former premier complained that a military officer is supervising jail affairs, and there is difficulty in getting access to his legal team in this matter.
He expressed the desire for a meeting with Khawaja Haris, who was his previous counsel in this case.
Chief Justice Isa allowed Haris to meet Imran anytime along with his associates. The same was also dictated in the order.
The former prime minister raised his hand to make the request to the bench.
When Imran Khan requested the fixation of the PTI petition concerning the violation of party workers after the May 9 incidents, CJP Isa inquired about his legal representation. He replied that Hamid Khan was his counsel.
The chief justice replied that Hamid Khan was a senior counsel and knew how to fix the matter.
When Imran Khan mentioned the alleged massive rigging during Feb 8 polls, labelling it as the “biggest robbery” of people's mandate, and highlighted that their petition regarding the matter is pending, CJP Isa smiled and encouraged him to address this issue separately, as the court was currently focused on the case concerning amendments in NAB law.
This was the essence of the brief interaction between CJP Isa and Imran Khan.
Read CJP Isa faces heat over controversial ruling
In a 4-1 majority decision, the Supreme Court once again dashed the hopes of PTI workers by rejecting the K-P government's request for live-streaming of the proceedings.
The chief justice made it clear that this was a technical matter and required no live-streaming. However, Justice Athar Minallah maintained that it was a matter of public interest and therefore should be live-streamed.
The bench left the courtroom for discussion, and after almost an hour of deliberation, the apex court by a majority 4-1 declined the K-P government’s request.
Some lawyers expressed disappointment over the decision, stating that the top court failed to dispel the perception that it is functioning without the influence of external elements who aim to prevent Imran Khan’s voice or image from reaching the public.
It was witnessed that extra security measures had been taken around the Supreme Court premises on Thursday, with three checking spots established.
Senior lawyers present in the courtroom remarked that the primary challenge for the apex court, led by CJP Isa, is to project an image of independence.
After the letter from six Islamabad High Court judges, all eyes are on the top court to establish a deterrence, ensuring that judicial proceedings will never be influenced by executive agencies.
Justice Minallah asked the Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan to convey to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that there are no “black sheep” in the superior courts, adding that if there are any such individuals, then the PM should move a reference against them.
However, CJP Isa remained silent and did not endorse the concerns expressed by Justice Minallah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail regarding the PM’s statement.
The present government also faced a setback when its counsel, Makhdoom Ali Khan, and Senator Farooq H Naek did not defend the recently promulgated ordinance extending the tenure of remand from 14 days to 40 days.
This bench has also shown an inclination to endorse the minority view of Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, which suggests that NAB law is applicable to judges and generals.
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