ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court yesterday rejected PTI founding chairman Imran Khan’s request to immediately hear the plea challenging his disqualification in the Toshakhana case.
However, there is an indication that the appeal filed by the PTI for a level-playing field in elections is expected to be scheduled for hearing. The two matters were brought before acting Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood yesterday.
Petitioner’s counsel Shahbaz Khosa urged the formation of a three-member bench to hear the disqualification case in the Toshakhana matter.
However, Justice Masood noted that only two judges were available in Islamabad, emphasising the need for a three-member bench for the Toshakhana case. Hence, a hearing on the Toshakhana disqualification case would not be feasible this week, the acting CJ added.
Justice Athar Minallah highlighted that the suspension of the disqualification will not lead to the former premier’s sentence being suspended.
“The petition in front of us maintains that since the decision of the case has been suspended, the sentence [awarded to Imran] should also be done away,” he said, adding that such a decision is unprecedented in Pakistan’s legal history. Khosa referred to the case against Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in which he claimed the veteran politician’s conviction was also suspended along with the decision of the case. Underscoring the three-year disqualification imposed on the PTI’s founder, the lawyer emphasised on how judge Humayun Dilaawar - who adjudicated on the Toshakhana case - swiftly conducted five hearings in a single day.