IHC informs counsel they cannot make an exception for Imran.
Today is the PTI leader’s last chance to secure pre-arrest bail through a personal appearance in court.
Screenshot of Imran Khan, Chairman of the PTI
He is the leader of the PTI and its chairman, Imran Khan. GRAPHIC: Captured Image
ISLAMABAD:
Because it cannot make exceptions for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader simply because he is a “privileged” person, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has given former prime minister Imran Khan until today (Thursday) to appear in court in person if he wants to get pre-arrest bail.
On Wednesday, the IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard applications seeking the pre-arrest bails of the PTI chief in nine different cases related to sedition, attempted murder, and vandalism. “The applications for pre-arrest bails will be considered dismissed, if Imran Khan does not appear in court tomorrow,” he said.
What statute exempts an accused from having to personally appear in court while awaiting arrest and bail? The accused is not helping authorities with their investigation? Justice Farooq, presiding over a two-judge panel that included Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, made the observation.
Salman Safdar, Imran’s attorney, previously told the bench that his client had requested a medical exemption from appearing in court.
He said that Imran’s legs swelled up when he appeared in the Lahore High Court (LHC) the other day because of the gunshot wounds he got in a failed assassination attempt in November of last year. Yesterday, he needed to be rushed to the emergency room. “Imran is 71 years old, and it takes time for wounds to heal at that age,” Safdar explained.
However, the bench did not agree with the private hospital’s medical records. A report from a public hospital would be ideal. “As you are aware, only government hospital reports are admissible in criminal cases,” the CJ said.
According to Barrister Jahangir Jadoon, the Advocate General of Islamabad, the petitioner produces records from his own Shaukat Khanum Hospital. “They have their own hospital and their own doctors; they can present a medical report, stating that Imran cannot go anywhere till the next six months,” he claimed.
The court has expressed its disapproval with PTI chairman Imran’s prolonged absence, citing his attorneys’ claims that their client’s life is in danger and that he suffers from leg discomfort.
“He has missed the past two court dates without explanation. Justice Farooq warned that setting a precedent of letting Imran skip court without posting bail would set a dangerous precedent for future criminals.
Barrister Safdar, however, promised the court that the PTI leader would show up today, no matter how he got there.
The court stated that it could not make an exception for one particular person. If Imran does not show up to court on Thursday [today], the judge will deny all of his pre-arrest bail petitions.
