Pakistan’s election fee on Tuesday deferred until August 2 the indictment of Imran Khan in a case linked to contempt of the highest electoral physique and its head after the previous prime minister appeared earlier than it in particular person for the primary time.
The Election Fee of Pakistan (ECP) initiated contempt proceedings towards Khan, 70, and former leaders of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) celebration, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry final 12 months for allegedly utilizing intemperate language towards the chief election commissioner and the electoral watchdog.
Tuesday’s growth got here because the PTI chief appeared earlier than the ECP for the primary time because the case was taken up in October final 12 months after the Election Fee of Pakistan on Monday directed the Islamabad police to arrest Khan and produce him earlier than it on Tuesday.
Nonetheless, as a substitute of showing earlier than the ECP, the three had challenged the ECP notices and contempt proceedings in numerous excessive courts on the grounds that Part 10 of the Elections Act 2017 — which is the statutory provision associated to the fee’s energy to punish for contempt — was towards the Structure.
The PTI leaders had additionally sought from the excessive courts a declaratory reduction from the fees.
However in January, the Supreme Courtroom had allowed the ECP to proceed proceedings towards them and on June 21, the ECP had determined to border expenses towards the trio.
Within the July 11 listening to, they didn’t seem earlier than the fee regardless of being summoned, following which the ECP issued arrest warrants for Chaudhry and Khan. It had, nonetheless, accepted a plea by Umar’s lawyer to permit him an exemption from the listening to.
Throughout Tuesday’s listening to, Khan appeared earlier than the ECP bench alongside his counsel, Shoaib Shaheen. A member of the ECP bench said that they’d meant to indict the previous prime minister within the case, the Daybreak newspaper reported.
Nonetheless, the PTI chief’s counsel requested the electoral watchdog to defer the listening to as he wanted extra time to assemble the case document, the paper stated.
In response, the ECP asserted, It’s your accountability to handle the file and case document.
Subsequently, the watchdog accepted the counsel’s plea and postponed the indictment till August 2. It additionally directed him to make sure Khan’s presence in the course of the subsequent listening to.
After the listening to, Khan was requested by journalists if he would apologise to the fee.
He responded by saying, Do you assume I ought to apologise? Why ought to I tender an apology when I didn’t make any mistake? When a journalist requested if he would take extra U-turns, Khan stated he would preserve taking U-turns.
One other journalist stated that it appeared Imran had grow to be a lawyer, to which the PTI chief stated, After so many instances, I’ve grow to be a lawyer.
Khan has been going through scores of instances in numerous courts which had been framed after he was faraway from energy in April final 12 months. Chaudhry, as soon as a diehard supporter of Khan, give up PTI after the Could 9 violence following Khan’s arrest in an alleged corruption case.
On July 20, former PTI chief Chaudhry tendered an apology to the ECP within the contempt case filed towards him by the electoral watchdog.
