— Former PM ordered to appear, explain ‘threat’ of legal action to junior judge
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a show-cause notice to Imran Khan and summoned the former prime minister in his personal capacity on August 31 as it launched contempt proceedings over his purported threats to a junior judge at a weekend rally.
In a speech at the rally in Rawalpindi on Saturday, Khan vowed to sue the chief of Islamabad police and the judge, Zeba Chaudhry, and alleged that Shehbaz Gill, his chief of staff, had been tortured after his initial arrest on August 9 in a sedition case.
Chaudhry had approved Gill’s physical remand — even after he complained of custodial torture and sexual abuse, and sought medical treatment.
“We will sue you,” Khan told the charged meeting, referring to the judge.
Acting on a mysterious complaint it received against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chair, police in Islamabad filed terrorism charges against Khan, further escalating political tensions in the country.
Tuesday’s notice was issued by a three-judge bench, headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and comprising Justice Babar Sattar and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.
The issue could be a threat for Khan, who has been campaigning for new elections since being forced to step down this year, since a conviction would disqualify him from standing for election, legal experts said.
“It is a criminal conviction,” a retired judge, Shaiq Usmani, told Geo News, adding that Khan could face six months in jail if convicted. “Due to it, he cannot contest any election for five years.”
The nation has seen at least one prime minister, and some lawmakers, unseated after such disqualifications.
The contempt issue is in addition to charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, that police filed against Khan over what they insisted was a threat in his speech about Gill.
The use of anti-terrorism laws as the grounds for cases against political leaders is not uncommon in Pakistan, where Khan’s government also used them against opponents and critics.
PTI has dismissed the accusations against Khan as being politically motivated, saying they were being used to block him from leading anti-government rallies.
Sharif’s government is unhappy with Khan over his threats and although courts usually pardon offenders if they apologise, some politicians have been convicted in the past for disobeying or insulting judges.
Ahsan Bhoon, a lawyer who heads the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and is widely believed to be a sympathiser of the Sharif family, welcomed the proceedings, declaring no one should be allowed to insult a judge or damage the reputation of the judiciary.
— With input from Reuters, AP
