ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday maintained Registrar Office’s objections over PTI chairman Imran Khan’s petition, seeking deletion of terrorism sections from an FIR registered against him in a matter related to protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) building.
A two-member bench of IHC comprising Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani and Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri conducted hearing of Khan’s petition along with the objections raised by the Registrar’s Office (RO).
The registrar office had raised three objections against the petition; including missing of biometric verification of Imran Khan and not attaching the documents of the anti-terrorism court (ATC). The registrar office also said that the case should have been filed before the trial court which was a relevant forum.
During the hearing, Justice Kayani remarked that currently, they are hearing the petition with an objection and how they can remove the objection of biometric verification. He asked if Imran Khan had managed to get bail in this case.
Khan’s counsel informed the bench that Imran Khan had got protective bail from the Lahore High Court (LHC) in this matter.
Justice Kayani also asked that a fake petition of Imran Khan was also filed yesterday too and now, how they can believe that this petition was not fake. The judge asked the counsel to tell Imran Khan to come and get biometric verification.
The IHC judge added that otherwise, his plea would not be heard. He further said that they would not even hear this petition until Imran Khan gets bail.
The petition was moved by Faisal Chaudhry Advocate and Ali Bokhari Advocate on behalf of the PTI chief. In his petition, Khan prayed to the IHC to suspend the operation of the FIR till the final judgment of the court. He said that a peaceful protest was right of every citizen.
Earlier, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad had turned down Imran Khan’s interim bail due to his continuous non-appearance in the case. Islamabad police had booked the PTI chief and scores of party workers on terrorism charges in October last year in the wake of protests after his disqualification in the Toshakhana reference.
The FIR registered against the party members claimed the protestors had pelted stones at the police and FC officials, leading to many injuries. The FIR further stated that workers of the former ruling party tried ramming police personnel with vehicles, set public property ablaze in Faizabad, and damaged government property.