Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Supremo Imran Khan set to appear before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to get bail in two cases related to sedition and attempted murder. Court directs authorities to ensure security arrangements ahead of Imran’s appearance.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan left his Zaman Park residence to reach the capital.
چئیرمین عمران خان اسلام آباد کے لیے روانہ #BehindYouSkipper pic.twitter.com/CcCvsAm1Ne
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 9, 2023
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb will hear deposed premier protective bail pleas.
In a circular issued by the IHC Registrar’s Office, it was stated that the pre-arrest bail petitions of former prime minister Imran Khan in two cases would be heard at 2:30pm tomorrow in courtroom No.1.
Special passes would be required for journalists and lawyers to gain entry, while court staff would be exempt from this requirement.
According to the circular, Imran Khan will be permitted to have 15 lawyers accompany him inside the courtroom.
Additionally, ten lawyers from the offices of the Attorney General of Pakistan and Advocate General Islamabad, along with 30 members of the Islamabad High Court Journalists Association (IHCJA), will be allowed entry.
Section 144 imposed
Meanwhile, the Islamabad Police imposed Section 144 (ban on public gatherings and display of weapons) in the federal capital ahead of Khan’s appearance in IHC.
Last hearing
In last hearing, the court granted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman pre-arrest bails–till May 9 in the aforementioned cases. It ordered the former premier to cooperate with the police in their investigation.
“Don’t be afraid of this security arrangement. Rather feel secure. Don’t give the impression that someone wants to arrest you,” IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq who was leading a division bench told Imran Khan who appeared in the court in a wheelchair.
A day earlier, the bench had given one last chance to Imran to appear in the court in person to get pre-arrest bail, noting that it could not bend rules for the PTI chief just because he is a “privileged” person.
Addressing the former premier, Justice Farooq asked why he was not joining the probe.
Imran’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar told the bench that the police wanted Imran to appear before seven different investigation officers (IOs) probing the seven terror cases.
“We are ready to give our testimony right now. All the IOs are also present here [in the courtroom]. Why didn’t they get our [Imran’s] statement today?” he proposed.
The CJ noted that Imran could not give his testimony like this on a piece of paper. “Follow the procedure that is in place for giving testimony to police,” he noted.
The bench once again told Imran’s counsel to submit reports of a government hospital if they want to get an exemption from personal appearance in court on medical grounds. A day earlier, the court had noted that a pre-arrest bail could only be awarded if the accused appeared in a court in person.
