SC bench hears appeals against LHC’s June 24 decision
ISLAMABAD:
Chief Justice Yahya Afridi on Wednesday made it clear that the Supreme Court would not tolerate unnecessary adjournments in the bail petitions of PTI founder Imran Khan, which stem from multiple cases linked to the May 9, 2023 unrest.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Afridi and comprising Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb, took up appeals challenging the Lahore High Court’s June 24 order. In that ruling, a bench led by Justice Shahbaz Ali Rizvi had rejected Khan’s bail pleas.
At the outset, an assisting counsel informed the apex court that Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi was unable to appear due to severe food poisoning and was hospitalized. He requested that the hearing be pushed to next week.
The chief justice, however, declined to grant a lengthy adjournment and remarked that the matter would resume on Thursday (today). He added that the court would first hear arguments from the prosecution to determine whether the LHC’s order could be upheld.
Advocate Salman Safdar, representing Imran Khan, strongly opposed the adjournment request. He reminded the bench that Khan’s bail plea had already remained pending before the LHC for six months, during which 16 hearings were held and eight different prosecutors had been changed. “The prosecution kept seeking delays. We are exhausted by this,” he told the court.
Justice Afridi reassured the defense that the Supreme Court would not allow the matter to drag on unnecessarily. However, when Safdar requested that Khan’s family members present in court be allowed to address the bench, the chief justice firmly refused, stating: “We will only hear the counsel. Family members will not be permitted to speak in court.”
The hearing was attended by Khan’s sisters along with senior PTI leaders. Proceedings were later adjourned until Thursday.
In its detailed verdict, the LHC had cited testimony from two police officials who claimed to have secretly attended PTI meetings where Khan allegedly instructed party leaders to target military installations if he was arrested. The court observed that these statements could not be dismissed as delayed or unreliable.
The bench concluded that the alleged directions attributed to Khan amounted to criminal conspiracy under Sections 120-B and 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the judgment, the meetings held on May 4 at Chakri rest area (Rawalpindi), May 7, and May 9 in Lahore reflected Khan’s role in inciting the violence that later unfolded.
