Nine months later, during a federal government intra-court appeal hearing against the Supreme Court’s majority ruling declaring amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 2000 illegal, deposed premier Imran Khan will get his first chance to address the public via video link.
It is now up to Imran to decide how he will take advantage of this chance.
It remains to be seen if he will emphasise the same story of “corruption” against his political opponents that he began in 2012 or discuss the influence of “powerful circles” in the accountability process for political aims.
The Supreme Court ruled in its rulings that political engineering was taking place at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
According to obtained information, PTI leaders will meet with the party’s founding chairman on Wednesday or today to develop a plan for his upcoming public appearance.
Imran will be appearing before the bench for the first time, which is chaired by Pakistan’s Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, who was referred by the president under the PTI administration.
It’s no secret that tensions have persisted between CJP Isa and the PTI ever since the presidential reference was filed in May 2019.
Justice Isa should not hear issues pertaining to Imran, according to even a bench led by former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
But when CJP Isa was in office, the PTI made no mention of this directive.
The PTI leaders have grave worries about CJP Isa’s failure to provide them with relief in situations when they are facing hardship at the hands of the security apparatus.
Imran’s first public appearance in nine months will, however, come as a blow to those who forbade him from appearing in public.
It’s possible that the government will take issue with the case being streamed live.
The question of whether the bench should have granted a guilty person the right to an audience is also being debated.
A subset of the legal community feels that this will establish a standard by which all condemned individuals will be entitled to request an audience in matters of public concern.
Tariq Mahmood Khokhar, a former additional attorney general, countered that the SC’s decision to permit Imran to appear and address the court via video link was not unprecedented and did not contradict the fundamental values of the nation.
In December 1978, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the PPP founder and former PM, was granted permission to appear in person before the Supreme Court. Shortly after General Musharraf’s overthrow in October 1999, [PML-N supremo] Mian Nawaz Sharif was permitted to testify in person before the Supreme Court,” he remembered.
According to Khokhar, the live-streaming of Imran’s appearance will uphold the core constitutional rights to equality before the law and a fair trial. This is in line with the SC’s recent practice.
“Justice must clearly and unquestionably be seen to be done, and fair adjudicative procedures are required by the rule of law.”
The PTI founding chairman was allowed to present his own case, but some judges expressed disapproval, asking how Imran could possibly help the court considering the issue involved legal points that he was not an expert on. Advocate Abdul Moiz Jaferii said that the bench’s initial comments when the application to be heard in person came up demonstrated a clear division.
Jaferii continued, “The court also came to the conclusion that he has the right to represent himself in court, regardless of how ignorant he may be.”
But it’s noteworthy in and of itself that Imran Khan is receiving a public platform for the first time in some months. Regardless of the court’s efforts to manage the discourse and limit Imran Khan’s speech to legal arguments, I believe he will make a legitimate impression in court. It looks like it will get really, really fascinating.
Imran will be the third former prime minister to be granted an audience by the SC while he is being held in custody.
Earlier, Bhutto addressed the bench of the SC while he was being held in custody for a murder case.
Under the leadership of former CJP Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, the SC had granted Nawaz access to the bench when he was detained following the military takeover in 1999. Imran will now speak before the SC while he is detained.
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