By Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan appeared before the Supreme Court via video link on Thursday in connection with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments case.
A five-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, is hearing the case.
The proceedings involve intra-court appeals filed by the federal and provincial governments challenging the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the recent NAB amendments.
Here is the picture of Imran Khan from the hearing:
SC launces investigation
The Supreme Court administration has initiated an investigation into the viral spread of Imran Khan’s picture on social media.
According to sources, the Supreme Court administration has started an investigation into the viral picture and has directed that CCTV cameras be reviewed to identify the person responsible for spreading the image.
Sources stated that the picture was taken in violation of courtroom rules, and the police will take action against the individual who made it viral.
It has been reported that after the picture went viral, the size of Imran Khan’s video in the courtroom has been reduced.
SC adjourns hearing:
The Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of the cases and has directed Imran Khan to appear in the next hearing as well.
The five-member SC larger bench hearing the case includes Chief Justice Isa, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi. While Khan expressed a desire to appear in person, the court granted him the option to defend himself via video link.
Khan has been in Adiala Jail since August 2023 following a conviction in the Toshakhana case and subsequent arrests in multiple cases, including cypher and unlawful marriage. Although he obtained bail in some cases, he remains imprisoned. This video link appearance will mark his first public appearance in nearly 10 months.
The jail authorities have scheduled Khan’s video link appearance in compliance with the SC’s orders, ensuring his virtual presence. However, Khan retains the choice of whether to appear before the bench.
In September 2023, a three-member SC bench approved Khan’s petition challenging amendments to accountability laws made by the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government. Headed by then-chief justice Umar Ata Bandial, and including Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, the court’s 2-1 verdict restored graft cases against public office holders that had been closed due to these amendments.
The verdict declared the amendments void and restored all graft cases worth less than Rs500 million against various political leaders and public office holders. This includes cases against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Raja Pervez Ashraf.
Following this verdict, the federal government filed an appeal under Section 5 of the SC law against the court’s order.
