The Supreme Court on Monday took up Imran Khan’s revised statement, which seeks amendments to his earlier pleadings. As the process is underway, the counsel representing PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi once again objected to the submission of the statement, arguing that the hearings of the case had been closed by the court.
Advocate Akram Sheikh argued, “Once the case has been closed, further documents cannot be submitted before the court.”
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court – headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, comprising of Justice Umar Atta Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab – has been hearing a petition filed by Abbasi which attempts to seek the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief and the party’s Secretary General Jahangir Tareen for not disclosing their assets and owning up to the existence of their offshore companies.
In a previous hearing of the case, the hearings had been closed by the bench without reservation of verdict.
Last week, Imran, through his counsel, Naeem Bokhari, had submitted a revised statement before the apex court. On Friday, in a rejoinder statement submitted to the court, Sheikh had argued that the PTI chief was abusing the court process through his statement and adopting “shifting stances.”
In another rejoinder submitted on Saturday, contradictions in the PTI chief’s statements went on to be highlighted.
On Monday, what became the focal point of the hearing was whether Imran had changed his stance in the statement or provided clarification sought by the court on different aspects of the case.
Bokhari argued that his client had provided answers to questions that had been raised by the court, without doing a “U-turn” in his revised statement as the prosecution had stated.
In response, advocate Sheikh said that he had requested the court to reserve verdict earlier since the hearing had ended for the parties involved.
“Imran Khan has submitted seven written responses to the court; this [the revised statement] in which he has sought a change in his position is the eighth,” he further added.
“Imran Khan’s request to change his stance amounts to contempt. Imran Khan’s statements do not match.”
The chief justice told the lawyer to present Khan’s inconsistencies before the court. He has been allowed one week to do so in the form of a submission of a written reply.
The hearing has been adjourned until tomorrow when the apex court will further up the petition against Tareen.