Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq has remarked that the trial court "did wrong" in convicting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakahna case.
The PTI chief’s appeal against the Toshakhana judgment, which earlier this month sentenced him to three years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs. 100,000, was being heard when the judge made these comments.
A two-member IHC bench comprising CJ Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the plea seeking suspension of Khan's conviction by the trial court's Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar.
Amjad Parvez, the legal representative for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), was absent from the hearing today due to illness.
His assistant lawyer petitioned the bench for an adjournment and stated, "For the last eight months, we never sought adjournment."
He mentioned that Parvez's physicians had advised bed rest.
At this point, the IHC chief justice said, "The request for suspension of sentence is now at a critical stage. He added that arguments would have been completed in fifteen to twenty minutes.
He further said, "We can also do what the trial court did, but we will not."
The PTI questioned the trial court's decision, claiming that it was made in a rush without consulting the party chief or his lawyer.
After that, the judge adjourned the hearing until Monday.