The Pakistan Bar Council spoke out against the Supreme Court on Thursday saying that the apex court’s observations over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s plea “gave the impression that high court judges have lost their value”.
On Wednesday, a special SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, raised questions about the manner in which a district and sessions court in Islamabad held the trial of former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, noting that there were apparently serious defects in the August 5 verdict of the court.
“The trial court delivered the verdict [sentencing the PTI chief to three years in prison] within a single day which was not right. Prima facie there are flaws in the trial court’s decision,” the CJP had observed.
The SC’s hearing took shortly after the PTI chief filed a plea levelling serious allegations against the Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, accusing him of having “deep and settled bias” against him.
Speaking to journalists outside the SC premises, PBC Vice Chairman Haroon-ur-Rashid urged the courts to proceed in accordance with the law as he rebuked the apex court for its actions from the previous day. “The observations of the Supreme Court yesterday were not legally valid,” he said.
“By declaring the trial court judge’s verdict as incorrect, the SC gave the impression that the appeal challenging the decision was pending here [with the SC and not the IHC],” he said.
“The SC benches are siding with a particular party,” he regretted, stressing that the courts must uphold fairness and extend the same favours to the common man that were being offered to “a specific person”.
Chairman of the PBC’s chief executive council, Hasan Raza Pasha, reacted to the developments saying that, “Yesterday, a case was heard by the SC where it seemed like criminal law was about to be altered.”
