The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court accepted the petition of disqualified Prime Minister and PTI head Imran Khan for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9. The bench took up the objections of the registrar’s office and fixed the case for arguments.
The seven-member panel comprised Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Shahid Bilal Hassan. PTI leader and senior lawyer Hamid Khan appeared on behalf of Imran Khan during the proceedings.
Advocate Hamid Khan said during the hearing that the country was virtually under undeclared martial law, as no one was coming to investigate the incidents of May 9. The army had been called in repeatedly to “normalize” matters. Justice Mandokhail observed that such a sweeping statement could not be made about Martial Law, while Justice Mazhar advised that the petitioner should also challenge Article 245 of the Constitution, which allows for army deployment.
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Numerous FIRs had been registered post-May 9, contended Hamid Khan, claiming that PTI was being specifically sidelined. On being asked by Justice Mandokhail why the matter was not taken to the high court, Khan argued that the issue concerned the whole nation and advanced objections raised by the Registrar’s Office. Justice Aminuddin finally overruled the registrar’s objections, thus allowing the case to progress to a hearing.
Justice Aminuddin Khan, during the hearing, asked whether the federal government was serious about pursuing the contempt petition against former Prime Minister Imran Khan. AAG Amir Rehman confirmed the intention of the government, stating that the PTI founder violated a court order during the long march on May 25, 2022. Justice Aminuddin explained that should the court issue a notice, the former prime minister, who is in jail, will have to appear before the court in person. He directed me to check with AAG about how to get the jailed PTI leader to court.
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail put across that the contempt matters were purely between the court and the alleged accuser, stating all the parties should center their views on the issue without putting emotions in it. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, appearing on behalf of Imran Khan, informed the court that the ex-premier has already filed a reply. Raja said that Khan has not received the court’s verbal order because mobile services are down, making the connection between the legal team and the client impossible.
Later on, these proceedings made the constitutional bench adjourn the hearing indefinitely this time.