ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday deferred indicting ex-premier Imran Khan for contempt of court after he apologized to the bench and said he was ready to say sorry to a woman judge he is accused of threatening during a speech last month.
A conviction in a contempt case can mean disqualification from politics for life since under Pakistani law a convicted person cannot run for office. Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and several members of Pakistani parliament have in the past been convicted of contempt and been disqualified from contesting elections for five years.
“I am ready to apologize to the female judge,” Khan told the court after taking the witness stand. “I assure the court that I will not do something like this in the future.”
The IHC chief justice Athar Minallah then remarked that it would not be “appropriate” to initiate contempt proceedings and adjourned the hearing in the case until October 3.
“We do appreciate whatever you [Imran Khan] have said,” the chief justice maintained. “We are not framing the charge.”
The top high court judge pointed out there was a legal requirement to fulfil before accepting or rejecting Khan’s apology.
“We certainly do appreciate that you’ve realized [your mistake],” he continued. “You may file an affidavit and we will consider it.”
Khan expressed his willingness to submit the affidavit and even asked the court to let him know if it wanted him to write anything beyond a simple apology in his affidavit.
“We are not dictating you anything,” said the chief justice in response. “It is your choice [whatever you want to write in the affidavit].”
“You may get help from the three amici curiae,” Justice Minallah added. “They can advise you what to write [in the affidavit].”
In a previous hearing, the court had appointed three eminent lawyers, Munir A. Malik, Makhdoom Ali Khan and Akhtar Hussain, to assist the court in the contempt proceedings. Two of them, Malik and Khan, were also present in the court today.
The court later issued a short order, saying: “We are, prima facie, satisfied with the apology rendered by the respondent. Let him file an affidavit for consideration of this Court before the next date fixed.”
The ex-premier was accompanied by his chief of staff, Senator Shibli Faraz, and senior party leader, Asad Umar, while entering the court.
However, security officials did not allow another senior party member Shah Mahmood Qureshi to attend the proceedings since he did not have an entry pass to the courtroom.
At the outset of the hearing, when the chief justice said the court was going to frame the charge against Khan, the former prime minister’s legal counsel, Hamid Khan, requested the five-member bench to allow his client to speak.
Khan said he had struggled for the rule of law and independence of judiciary in the country for 26 years and never wanted to threaten or hurt the feelings of the female judge.
“I never had an intention of threatening the female judge, but legal action has been started against me,” he said. “I can go to the female judge to clarify [my position] and apologize if I had crossed a certain red line.”
The ex-premier also assured the court he would not make any such mistake in the future.
“I assure you that I will never hurt the feelings of the judiciary and the judges in the future,” he added.
After the hearing, Attorney-General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf told Arab News he would first see the written response of the former prime minister in the contempt case and then devise a strategy on how to handle it.
“Let him first submit the written response, then we will see what to do,” he said.
Under Pakistani law, Khan’s last appearance on September 8 was a chance offered by the Islamabad High Court for the ousted premier to apologize unconditionally and avoid going to trial. But Khan insisted he had made no threats, in turn prompting the court to schedule the next hearing for September 22, today, saying it would indict him.
The charges against Khan relate to a speech last month at a rally in the capital, Islamabad, in which he said, according to a police report, that he “would not spare” Islamabad’s police chief and the female judge, alleging that his former chief of staff, Dr. Shahbaz Gill, had been tortured in police custody after being arrested on charges of sedition and ordered in police remand by the judge.
Police and prison authorities deny the allegation. Gill is now out on bail after being in custody for about a month.
Khan’s aides have described his legal woes as an attempt to knock him out “technically” after seeing his growing popularity among people at mass rallies since his ouster in April in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. The countrywide rallies, and threats of a mass march to Islamabad, are aimed at forcing the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to hold early elections.
Sharif has rejected the demand, saying the vote should take place as scheduled in 2023.
Khan, who served as prime minister for over three-and-a-half years, says the current government came to power under a plot orchestrated by the United States, which was allegedly peeved with his adoption of an independent foreign policy.
Washington has denied the charges.
Pakistan court defers contempt indictment as ex-PM Khan agrees to apologize to judge
https://arab.news/m6nda
Pakistan court defers contempt indictment as ex-PM Khan agrees to apologize to judge
- Khan is charged with threatening Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry during a rally speech
- The Islamabad High Court chief justice has asked Khan to file an affidavit of the apology to address the matter
Peace can only prevail if Afghanistan renounces support for ‘terrorism’— Pakistan defense chief
- Pakistan’s chief of defense forces visits South Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan
- Pakistan says has killed 481 Afghan Taliban operatives since clashes began last Thursday
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said on Wednesday that peace with Afghanistan can only prevail if Kabul renounces support for “terrorism” and “terrorist” organizations, the military’s media wing said as the two countries remain locked in conflict.
Fighting between the two neighbors, the worst in decades, broke out last Thursday night after Afghan forces attacked Pakistan’s military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said its attacks were in response to earlier airstrikes by Pakistan against alleged militant hideouts in its country.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militant outfits such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on its soil who have launched attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces in recent years. Kabul denies the allegations.
Munir visited Wana town in Pakistan’s South Waziristan district to review the security situation and troops’ operational preparedness at the Afghan border, the Pakistani military’s media wing said in a statement.
“The Field Marshal reiterated that peace could only prevail between both sides if the Afghan Taliban renounced their support for terrorism and terrorist organizations,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The military chief said the use of Afghan soil by militant outfits to launch attacks against Pakistan was unacceptable, vowing that “all necessary measures” would be taken to neutralize cross-border threats.
During the visit, Munir was briefed by military commanders about ongoing intelligence-based operations and measures being taken by the military to manage the border with Afghanistan.
He was also briefed about “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” or “Wrath for the Truth,” the name Pakistan has given to its military operation against Afghan forces, the ISPR said.
The Pakistani military chief spoke to troops deployed in the area, praising their vigilance, professional conduct and high morale, the ISPR said.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the military has killed 481 Taliban operatives, injured more than 690 and destroyed 226 Afghan checkposts since clashes began.
Arab News has been unable to verify claims by both sides about the damages they claim to have inflicted on each other.
Afghanistan has signaled it is open for dialogue but Pakistan rejected the offer, saying it would continue its military operations till its objectives were achieved.
Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified with several countries, including global bodies such as the European Union and United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara would help reinstate a ceasefire, the Turkish Presidency said on Tuesday, as other countries that had offered to mediate have since been hit by the conflict in the Gulf.
