Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq on Friday observed that the trial court, which convicted former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan in Toshakahna case, “did wrong”.
The judge’s remarks came during the hearing of the PTI chief’s appeal challenging the Toshakhana verdict, which sentenced him to three-year in prison and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 earlier this month. 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 Humayun Dilawar.
During the hearing, the Election Commission of Pakistan’s legal counsel Amjad Parvez did not appear before the bench, citing ill health.
His assistant advocate asked the bench for an adjournment saying: “For the last eight months, we never sought adjournment.”
He said that doctors had suggested Parvez bed rest. At this, 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.