Imran seeks virtual trial in all cases pending in Islamabad courts
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan seeks virtual trial in all cases pending in capital’s judiciary.
In a petition filed with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday, Mr Khan mainly cited security concerns for conducting his trial through video link facility.
The IHC registrar office raised objection on his petition that Mr Khan was required to file applications before the relevant trial courts before seeking relief from the high court.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, however, would hear arguments of the petitioner’s counsel on Thursday (today).
The petition stated that since Mr Khan was facing threats to his life, his personal appearance before the trial courts disrupted routine proceedings in other courts.
The petition therefore requested the court to issue direction for his pending trials through Skype or other video link facility.
It may be mentioned that the counsel for Mr Khan, during the hearing of his petition against the issuance of arrest warrant by a trial court in Toshakhana case, raised this issue before IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
The counsel said Mr Khan had serious threats to his life and visiting crowded premises of the sessions court would endanger his life as well as pose threat to life of other litigants.
IHC Chief Justice Farooq was not convinced with these arguments as he remarked that the security institutions had also issued threat alerts to the judges of the Islamabad High Court but the judiciary was administering justice without any fear.
The petition also requested the court to direct the Islamabad police and National Highways and Motorway police to arrange foolproof security on the appearance of Mr Khan in the trial courts as well as before the IHC.
Mr Khan is also scheduled to appear in person before the IHC on Thursday to pursue his bail plea in the case related to manhandling of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Mohsin Nawaz Ranjah.
The high court has granted him pre-arrest interim bail on Feb 28 and will resume hearing in this matter on Thursday (today) at 3pm.
Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2023