The Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed a contempt case filed against former Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over comments he made during a rally in August, wherein he vowed not to “spare” public officials and Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry for their alleged role in arresting and torturing his aide Shahbaz Gill.
The IHC held that while Khan’s comments are clearly a case of contempt of court, the bench dismissed it due to Khan’s subsequent remorseful conduct, evidenced in the affidavit he submitted to the court. The five-judge bench assured that the court takes “a lot of care in contempt of court cases” and the decision to dismiss the charges was “unanimous.”
The IHC initiated the case in August during Gill’s remand hearing; Gill had been charged with treason and accused of inciting rebellion. Khan was criticised for his reluctance to offer an apology for his threats and the court deemed his first two replies “unsatisfactory.”
"عدالت نے بڑے زبردست فیصلے کیے ہیں۔ لانگ مارچ کی کال آنے والی ہے"۔ عمران خان کی اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ کے باہر صحافیوں سے گفتگو pic.twitter.com/Gd9RU1PTwd
— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 3, 2022
The court delayed his indictment after Khan apologised before the IHC on 22 September. The IHC said it was “satisfied” with the apology in the third reply and directed Khan to submit an affidavit.
Thereafter, the former PM submitted an affidavit on Saturday, admitting that he “might have crossed a line” in his comments against the officials. He clarified that he was ready to apologise to the officials in question and that “there was no intention behind the statement to take any action other than legal action.” He reassured that he would provide all necessary assurances to convince the IHC of his commitment to the dignity of the court and other public institutions.
Khan thanked the court for its “great decision” and said he would comply with its directions and appear for hearings as instructed.
IHC dismisses contempt of court show cause notice against Imran Khan. Now what cooked up case will a desperate Imported govt backed by its string pullers try to file against IK & PTI? Do your damnest, no scheming will work for u - Nation stands with IK.#عمران_خان_ہماری_ریڈ_لائن
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) October 3, 2022
However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz said that the “entire world” knew Imran Khan was guilty of contempt. In this regard, she said that the case was not “dismissed” but that Imran Khan was “forgiven.”
Khan’s comments during the August rally have led to a long-running episode in Pakistani politics. In fact, the IHC’s decision comes just days after a sessions court in Islamabad issued an arrest warrant against Khan for failing to appear before the court, for which he secured bail on Saturday.
Furthermore, he also faced charges under the country’s anti-terrorism laws. However, the IHC dropped the charges last month after raising concern that allowing the case would “open a floodgate” of cases under anti-terrorism laws.
In other related developments, the incumbent Sharif government has also initiated an inquiry into Khan and other PTI officials’ involvement in a series of audio leaks on Friday.
On 28 and 30 September, a series of informal conversations between Khan, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and other PTI officials were leaked, wherein the leaders were heard contemplating using a “cypher” (that the PTI argued was evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to oust Khan) for political purposes. Apart from leaking the audio, the ruling government has also accused Khan of taking the original copy of the cypher from the PM’s office, an allegation that has been firmly denied by Khan.