Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday granted Chairman PTI Imran Khan another seven days to submit another written response to the show-cause notice served on the former Prime Minister for his remarks on Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.
A larger bench of five honourable judges, headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case today. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Babar Sattar were also part of the larger bench.
Today’s hearing
At the outset of the hearing, Khan’s lawyer Hamid Khan came forward and took the stand. IHC CJ Minallah told him that although he was Khan’s lawyer, he was also there to assist the court.
“I did not expect this from you,” the IHC CJ said in response to the reply that the lawyer submitted on behalf of Khan.
IHC CJ Minallah noted that a political party should always believe in upholding the law and the constitution.
“In the last 70 years, a common man has not been able to make it to the high courts and the Supreme Court.”
The IHC CJ said that he was “saddened” by the response that Khan submitted in response to the show-cause notice.
Justice Minallah said that he hoped that the PTI chairman would boost the court’s confidence, however, it should be noted that just like “the time that has passed by cannot come back, the words uttered through one’s tongue cannot be taken back”.
On August 23, the IHC issued a show-cause notice to PTI Chairman Imran Khan and summoned him to appear before the court on August 31 (today) in a contempt case filed against him for threatening Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.
Imran Khan’s statement
Imran Khan, while addressing a rally at F-9 park, in Islamabad, on August 20, alleged that Judge Zeba Chaudhry knew that incarcerated party leader Shahbaz Gill was tortured, but she did not release him on bail. He threatened to take action against the judge and the Islamabad IG and DIG police.
IHC registrar Farhan Aziz Khawaja put up a note regarding the “threatening remarks” of the PTI leader about Judge Zeba Chaudhry before acting Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
After consultation with the other senior judges, the IHC acting CJ served contempt of court notice on Imran Khan and formed a larger bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb to hear the contempt case.
Khan’s response to show-cause notice
In a response to the show-cause notice, Imran Khan on Tuesday told the IHC that due to “serious misunderstanding and misconception” he misunderstood that female Judge Zeba Chaudhry was not a judicial officer but an executive magistrate performing executive functions on the federal government’s directions.
In the response, he did not apologise for threatening the additional sessions judge, offering, however, to withdraw remarks “if they were inappropriate.”
“As someone who believes in rule of law and a strong independent justice system, the respondent does not believe in hurting the feelings of honourable judges.”
Khan submitted the response through Hamid Khan and Barrister Salman Safdar.
Misunderstood woman judge as magistrate working under govt’s orders
