Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will submit a reference against Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) after a bench presided over by the judge denied nullifying former premier Imran Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case.
The PTI Core Committee, which is in charge of party affairs as a result of the party chairman's arrest, denounced the IHC's decision to postpone the case until Thursday (August 24) in a statement.
According to the party, to protect the independence of the judiciary, it has been decided to submit a reference against Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq with the Supreme Judicial Council.
It also requested Pakistan's Chief Justice (CJP), Umar Ata Bandial, to pay attention to how the IHC CJ announced the verdict today.
The PTI demanded that the chief justice of the IHC immediately recuse himself from the case and guarantee that the PTI chairman received a fair trial in accordance with Article 10-A.
Law and justice have been reduced to a joke by the top justice of the Islamabad High Court. According to the Imran Khan-led party, delaying justice is the same as murdering it. Additionally, it claimed that the adjournment today was made in order to "continue the series of retaliation and violence" against the party chief.
عمران خان صاحب کی جانب سے آئین پاکستان کےآرٹیکل 186A کے تحت اسلام آباد ہائی کورٹ کے چیف جسٹس سے اپنے تمام مقدمات کسی اور ہائی کورٹ میں منتقل کرنے کی درخواست سپریم کورٹ میں دائر کر دی گئی ہے ،استدعا کی گئی ہے کہ ان حالات میں اسلام آباد ہائی کورٹ کے چیف جسٹس سے انصاف کی کوئی توقع…
— Naeem Haider Panjutha (@NaeemPanjuthaa) August 23, 2023
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) requested two weeks to get the record and present arguments at today's hearing, but the IHC bench rejected this request and instead delayed the hearing to August 24.
The decisions were made after Imran Khan's request for the suspension of his conviction by a sessions court in the Toshakhana case was considered by a two-member bench headed by IHC CJ Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri.
Amjad Pervaiz, the lawyer for ECP, urged the judge to give him two weeks to get the case's verified record at the hearing.
Latif Khosa, the PTI chief's lawyer, disagreed with the proposal and emphasised that the court had asked for an answer today in its notice to ECP.
"The trial court's sentencing of the PTI chairman was unlawful since it eliminated his right to a defence. He lacked even the power to hear about this matter. The PTI chairman is requesting fundamental rights rather than any concessions," Khosa said. Additionally, he requested that the IHC postpone the sentencing today.
On the other side, the ECP's lawyer said that he has not yet received the case's verified record and should be granted at least 10 days to prepare his arguments.
The IHC CJ responded and adjourned the hearing until August 24. He stated, "We will neither listen to Khosa nor yours [ECP lawyer], and we will keep this for the day after tomorrow."