RAWALPINDI – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan could not secure major relief from the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench in his petition challenging the video link trial in the GHQ attack case.
A division bench comprising Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Waheed Khan heard the case. The court dismissed the request for a stay order against the proceedings but admitted the petition for hearing and issued a notice to the Punjab Chief Secretary.
During the hearing, Imran Khan’s counsel Salman Akram Raja argued that the video link arrangement was meant to specifically target his client.
The bench, however, remarked that the matter would be reviewed after the government’s reply. The Chief Secretary has been directed to submit a response by October 6.
It may be recalled that following earlier judicial objections, the notification regarding Imran Khan’s video link trial was re-challenged on September 24.
The petition maintained that under Article 10-A of the Constitution, every citizen is entitled to a fair trial. It requested that the Home Department’s notification authorizing a video link trial in the GHQ attack case be declared null and void, and that Imran Khan be produced from Adiala Jail before the court.
The petition further urged the court to suspend the notification until a final decision is made.
According to the petitioner, the trial was effectively being conducted via WhatsApp calls instead of proper video link facilities, which undermined the right of legal counsel to consult with the accused during proceedings. The plea termed the notification “unconstitutional and unlawful,” seeking the court’s direction to ensure strict adherence to Article 10-A and declare all video link and WhatsApp-based proceedings void.
Separately, the court also dismissed a plea filed by Imran Khan’s legal team seeking adjournment in the case.
