Court forms benches for appeals of cipher cases, rejects several bail applications as fruitless
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request for an immediate meeting with jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan. On lawyer Latif Khosa’s request to meet Khan, notice was issued to the government tomorrow.
“We cannot pass such an order without issuing notice,” said Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi. “At this stage the limit of the objection to the maintainability of the petition has to be crossed,” Afridi told Khosa.
“Keep in mind that your cases are pending in other courts,” he said, adding, “In our opinion, this case has become fruitless.”
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“It was an order dated August 24, 2023 against which the case had come,” the CJP said. “We cannot issue any order for a meeting without giving notice. It remains to be seen whether the matter has become fruitful or can still be carried forward.”
The court ordered the formation of a three-member bench to hear appeals against Khan’s acquittal in the cipher case. An order was also issued to constitute a three-member bench in the appeal against Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s acquittal in the cipher case.
Further, Khan’s bail plea in the Al-Qadir Trust case was dismissed as infructuous. A two-member bench headed by Afridi heard the case.
Khosa requested that he be allowed to meet his client, to which Afridi replied: “We will also take a decision at the meeting tomorrow.”
“We cannot give any decision without giving notice to the other party,” the chief justice added. The court adjourned the hearing of the case until tomorrow.
In the Al-Qadir Trust case, the application for cancellation of bail for the PTI founder was rejected on the ground that it was infructuous. Meanwhile, in the Toshakhana case, the applications for cancellation of Imran Khan’s bail, along with that of Bushra Bibis, were also dismissed as infructuous.
In the May 9 Lahore incidents, an order was issued to constitute a three-member bench on the bail cancellation applications of the PTI founder. The court adjourned the hearing of the bail cancellation applications in the cipher case and the May 9 incidents for two weeks.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar said the CJP was hearing all the cases against the PTI founder, calling it “an indication that it is the worst example in Pakistan.”
“In every case where Imran Khan received relief, the government appealed against him in every case,” Safdar said. “The cipher was Pakistan’s most expensive lawsuit. You also saw what the result was.”
“There is adjournment in all direct cases,” he noted. “When I have come to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, we have always received relief.”
“Our meetings are limited. But our cases are not even fixed for a hearing,” Safdar said.
“If justice is not done in one judicial forum, then that forum can be bypassed and a higher forum can be approached,” the lawyer said. “We have never brought medical grounds to court to date,” he added.
“This in no way means that we should be kept in the dark about the PTI founder’s health. We have not applied for bail on the pretext of medical grounds,” Safdar remarked.
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Expressing hope that the meeting would take place tomorrow, he said, “My previous meeting also took place because of the Chief Justice.”
“Their meetings should be arranged. Winter is over and Ramazan is approaching. Bushra Bibi’s and PTI founder’s bail applications should be fixed for a hearing. We have also requested a meeting with the Supreme Court.”
“50 cases are live. All those cases were before the Supreme Court where the government had sought cancellation of bail.”
Concluding his remarks, Safdar said, “Don’t treat the accused as the apple of your eye; keep everyone on an equal footing.”
