Islamabad, Aug 24 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on Pakistan ex- prime minister Imran Khan’s plea challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision in the Toshakhana case till the latter issues a verdict on the plea seeking the suspension of the sentence in the case.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial heard the case as the IHC was hearing the former prime minister’s plea against the Toshakhana verdict.
At the start of the hearing, CJP Bandial lauded IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq for his efforts and it would be better if the high court issues its verdict, according to Geo news.
The top judge then inquired if anyone from the attorney general’s office was present in the courtroom as they wanted to know the situation about the condition in which the PTI chief, who was removed from the prime minister’s office via a vote of no-confidence in April last year, was kept in jail.
On this point, Khan’s lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa told the court that they just presented their arguments before the IHC.
CJP Bandial responded that your objection was that you were not being heard now all your arguments have been heard.
“Hope from the high court that it gives a decision based on your points,” remarked CJP Bandial.
Moving on, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail inquired about what was the result of the IHC hearing. To which Khosa responded that he was not a politician so he could not say much.
“This is the beauty of the system that first a decision is made at the high court and then it comes to the Supreme Court,” remarked the apex court’s chief justice. While Justice Mandokhail asked Khan’s legal team that they should not criticise the judges of the Islamabad High Court.
A day earlier, the Supreme Court which heard a petition challenging IHC’s decision to remand the case back to the trial court judge who had convicted him, observed that the trial court had hastened the Toshakhana verdict.
It acknowledged the “procedural defects” in Khan’s conviction but opted to wait for the IHC’s decision on the former premier’s plea seeking suspension of the three-year sentence.
“Prima facie the decision by the additional sessions judge (ASJ) contains defects, but we will not intervene at this stage; rather [we will] wait for the outcome of the high court decision,” CJP Bandial observed.
When the IHC took up the petition again today it adjourned the hearing till tomorrow at 11:30 PM.
Two-member IHC bench comprising CJ Aamer Farooq and Tariq Memhmood Jahangiri conducted the hearing on the PTI chief’s plea against the Toshakhana verdict on Thursday.
On August 5, the former prime minister, who is currently incarcerated in Attock jail, was found guilty of corrupt practices in the case of misdeclaration of state gifts.
The trial court in the federal capital had sentenced Khan to three years in prison upon conviction, a move which is likely to bar him from standing in elections due later this year.
