Imran Khan admits mistake of avoiding parliament during Supreme Court hearing

PTI founder voices grievances over his 'victimisation' during NAB amendments case hearing

ISLAMABAD:

During a Supreme Court hearing on the review of NAB amendments, Imran Khan, the founder of PTI, acknowledged his mistake of not attending parliament in a dialogue with Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

The former prime minister argued on Thursday that there has been an unannounced imposition of "martial law" in the country, alleging that his swift conviction within five days was orchestrated to hinder his participation in the general elections.

During a hearing of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments case in the Supreme Court, Khan voiced his grievances regarding the victimisation he was subjected to since his removal from power in April of 2022.

He appeared before a five-member Supreme Court bench via video link from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. The bench was led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa with Justices Aminuddin, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, and Hasan Azhar Rizvi also presiding over the hearing.

While discussing the case, Khan referred to a cypher, prompting Chief Justice Isa to interrupt him, advising, "Do not discuss cases that are yet to come before us. We had this concern earlier as well."

Read more: Supreme Court reserves verdict on NAB amendments case

Admitting the chief justice's point, Khan said, "It is true, I should have gone to parliament. The country is facing an economic crisis, and the remittances sent from abroad are being transferred out by the elite." Chief Justice Isa responded, "You are mixing two different issues."

Chief Justice Isa questioned Khan about the amnesty he granted, to which Khan replied, "The amnesty was given to bring the black economy onto a legal path."

The chief justice advised, "Sit down with the members of parliament; they are not your enemies. Go and talk to them. Regarding the election date, we asked the president and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to discuss it. We did not want to make a political statement."

Chief Justice Isa further stated, "We do not want to stop you, provided there are no objections. Politicians should resolve issues among themselves. Do not bring party matters before us."

Khan compared his jail conditions to those of Nawaz Sharif, requesting a comparison of the facilities provided. Chief Justice Isa suggested, "We can arrange for a surprise visit by a judicial officer."

The PTI founder also referenced the case of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the hearing, who was granted bail before the Indian general elections to facilitate his campaign.

He also expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court's decision to reject the plea from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to live stream his proceedings.

Addressing the CJP, Khan questioned the assertion made in the judgment that he had engaged in political point scoring during the previous hearing. Justice Isa responded by stating that a judge does not owe an explanation for their verdict to anyone and suggested that Khan could file a review petition if dissatisfied with the judgment.

After completing his arguments, Chief Justice Isa asked Khan if he had anything more to add. The chief justice thanked Khan for his assistance, to which Khan also expressed his gratitude. The chief justice then dictated the order for the day and reserved the decision.

The Supreme Court rejected the response submitted by NAB in the amendments case and requested a ten-year budget record from NAB. It was noted that any party wishing to file a response could do so within seven days.