The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday decided to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan for hurling threats to judicial magistrate Zeba Chaudhry.
According to the Registrar Office, the decision was made in consultation with all judges. A larger bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Baber Sattar will take up the matter today (Tuesday).
The PTI chairman, during a rally at F-9 Park in Islamabad, had given a threatening statement about Additional District and Sessions judge Zeba Chaudhry in his speech. The judicial magistrate had granted the police a two-day physical remand of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill.
Meanwhile, the IHC granted a three-day protective bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in a case registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) by the Margalla Police Station, Islamabad, for threatening an additional district and sessions court judge and police high-ups.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani and Justice Babar Sattar also directed petitioner Imran Khan to approach the relevant court by Thursday to get relief. Imran, in the petition filed through his lawyers Dr Babar Awan and Faisal Chaudhry, stated that he was ready to join the investigation whenever he was directed by the court. He claimed that he had no criminal record, and there was no risk of his fleeing (abroad) or damaging the evidence.
Earlier, the Registrar Office raised three objections on the petition, including missing of the biometric verification of Imran Khan and a verified copy of the first information report, and that the bail should be first sought from a suitable forum – the anti-terrorism court. However, the bench heard the case with objections raised by the Registrar Office. Babar Awan informed the court that his client was unable to appear before it as the police had surrounded his client’s house in Bani Gala, and prayed the court to grant his client protective bail as he wanted to appear before the ATC for relief.
At this, Justice Kayani asked whether the petitioner wanted protective bail for biometric purpose only. Babar Awan said the ATC judge was also on leave due to which they had approached the IHC. The bench removed the objections of the Registrar Office and granted a three-day protective bail to Imran until August 25. The court instructed the petitioner to appear before the relevant court within the time.
On the other hand, PTI Senator and Barrister Ali Zafar said that they would fight a legal battle for the cases registered against Imran Khan. He claimed that the cases being registered against Imran were fake. “We will approach the relevant court for dismissal of all these cases against Imran Khan,” said Barrister Zafar while talking to the reporters at the Lahore High Court. He said that they believed in supremacy of the law. He also said they would also file applications to seek interim bails in all the cases.
The statement comes the same day Imran approached Islamabad High Court for his bail in terrorism case. The IHC granted him transit bail till August 25. The Islamabad police had booked Imran Khan on Sunday over charges of threats to the senior police officers and an additional district and sessions judge during his speech to a larger gathering at F-9 Park in the federal capital.
Reacting to the development, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the PTI chief would be arrested as soon as his protective bail’s time period ends.
