The court issued Khan a show cause notice, ordering him to appear in person to explain threatening remarks against woman judge.
By Naveed Naqvi
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad High Court bench ceased with the hearing of a case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan over his use of threatening language against a woman judge has ordered Khan to appear in the court in person.
The three-member larger bench, headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and including Justice Mian Gill Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Babar Sattar, has summoned Khan on August 31.
The contempt of court case was initiated by the court after Khan, speaking at a public rally, used threatening language against Zeba Choudhary, Additional District and Sessions Judge – East, Islamabad.
His followers cheered when he delivered the offending remarks from the podium. Video clips of the speech garnered widespread publicity over mainstream as well as social media, apart from being spread far and wide by Khan’s party cohorts.
Advocate General Islamabad appeared before the court. The court inquired when these controversial remarks were made. The Advocate General told the court that the controversial remarks were used in a public rally on August 20.
The Advocate General read out the statement of Imran Khan from the meeting in F-9 Park. The court inquired in which case these remarks were made, on which the Advocate General told the court that it was heard by the Judge Zeba Chaudhry in the Shehbaz Gill case.
Judge Chaudhry had approved the physical remand of Shehbaz Gill. The AD said the no political party’s or leader should make such remarks against any court of law.
The court inquired as to how anyone could comment on a case which is under hearing. Even the court cannot interfere in the pending cases, a judge said.
On this occasion, Justice Mian Gull Hasan Aurangzeb said that the way you were giving arguments, it seems that you had filed the case.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked that if people continued to threaten the courts like this, how would the system work.
“A female Additional Sessions Judge was [identified] by name”, he said. “This is not only limited to Islamabad. Judges are working all over Pakistan.
“Where are you taking the common people? Do you want people to make their own decisions? One should not expect such statements from a person who has been a prime minister of the country.”
The court sought the Advocate General’s opinion as to whether it should issue a notice or a show cause notice in the matter. The AG sought to establish the gravity of the offending remarks in response, pointing out that they had come from the head of the political party at political rally and were spread everywhere through the media, and that the woman judge had been identified by name.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said that these people feel that no one can do anything about them. People will still be expressing their anger on social media.
“If you have a government, why don’t you prevent such actions?” he said addressing the AG. “The civil bureaucracy, the IG was also threatened – or do the police not work?
“If the state institutions do not work, how will the country run? Certain people have crippled the state.”
The court issued a show cause notice to Imran Khan, ordering him to appear before it in person on August 31.
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