Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial has warned that there would be repercussions for political leaders who disobeyed the law and the constitution.
On Thursday, while presiding over the five-member bench hearing the government’s contempt petition against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, CJP Bandial declared, “Ours is not a political role.”
The bench also included Justices Ijaz ul Ahsan, Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, and Sayyed Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi.
The government through the plea is requesting an order to stop Khan from inciting a law-and-order crisis in support of the party’s planned long march to Islamabad.
The CJP, while advising the attorney general to examine the security agencies’ reports, remarked that political battles should be fought on the streets.
The AGP informed the court that he was not given copies of the findings, despite the bench’s assurances that it would do so.
The AGP stated, “The reports indicate that PTI had violated the pledges made to the court.”
The CJP postponed the court to Wednesday, October 26, 2022, saying, “If something comes up in the meanwhile, we will take necessary measures.”
The Interior Ministry filed a petition on October 13 asking for contempt of court proceedings against the former prime minister under Article 204 of the Constitution for disobeying and ignoring the rulings made by the Supreme Court on May 25, 2022, in response to a petition brought by the Islamabad High Court Bar Association.
The federal government complained to the Supreme Court that the PTI leader was disobeying a court order by making announcements about marching on Islamabad.
