Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders associated on Wednesday the letter written by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to court decisions against party founder Imran Khan and claimed the same have lost their credibility. Six IHC judges reached out to the SJC a day earlier seeking clarity on the alleged intrusion of executive members, including intelligence operatives, in judicial matters. Addressing a press conference, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, accompanied by general secretary Omar Ayub and information secretary Raoof Hasan, highlighted the unprecedented nature of the letter, terming it as ‘the first of its kind’. Gohar emphasized the alleged pressure faced by the judges, suggesting external influences aimed at swaying arbitrary decisions, which he argued depleted judicial independence. “The judges have run out of patience,” he added. The PTI chief said the judges’ letter cites the Tyrian White case, adding that the Toshakhana case is also an example. He maintained that the undue influence impacted the judges of the sessions court, adding that six judges of the IHC also came under pressure. Gohar cited the alleged interference in judicial matters as the reason Imran was sentenced in three different cases within a span of five days. He criticized the previous coalition government that took over the reins following Imran’s ouster in a no-confidence motion in April 2022, for allegedly fabricating 200 cases against the PTI founder. “The PTI founding chairman was not given the right to a fair trial in any of the cases. In light of the letter the legality of the decisions against Imran is now lost. We request the Supreme Court to constitute a larger bench on this matter today,” the party chairman stated. PTI leader Omar Ayub endorsed Gohar’s statement, characterizing the judges’ letter as a severe indictment of the current judicial system. Ayub pledged to raise the issue in both the National Assembly (NA) and Senate.