An accountability court in Islamabad barred on Thursday PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi from issuing statements against state institutions and officials. During the hearing of a petition seeking a fair trial, Judge Basir Javed Rana ordered the PTI founder and his spouse from speaking against state institutions in the courtroom. According to the order, the PTI chief made provocative political statements against senior officials of state institutions, including the army, the judiciary and the army chief. The order added that such statements disrupt judicial decorum and also obstruct judicial functions such as the dispensation of justice. The order further stated that during the jail trial of the PTI founder, the media will limit its reporting to court proceedings and not report statements of the accused. In its order, the court also instructed the prosecution, the accused and their defence counsels to not make political or inflammatory statements which may disrupt the decorum of the court. Media was also ordered to refrain from publishing political and inflammatory narratives targeting state institutions and officials and was asked to adhere to PEMRA guidelines which prohibit discussing ongoing cases. Earlier, the former prime minister asserted that premeditated rigging marred the by-polls in Punjab, accusing the Punjab Police of indulging in rigging. “Democracy hinges on the supremacy of law and the conduct of free and fair elections, yet what we witnessed was jungle law.
Leave a Comment