ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered former prime minister Imran Khan to appear in court on Thursday in connection with various complaints registered against him across the country, extending the deadline by a day after originally demanding his appearance on Wednesday.
This decision came after Aamer Farooq, chief justice of the high court, expressed his dissatisfaction with Khan’s “persistent absence”, while hearing his request for interim bail for a case involving murder attempt charges filed against him by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MP Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha last year.
A criminal complaint was lodged on October 23 by Ranjha alleging that a shot fired by a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police officer outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on October 21 was an attempt on his life allegedly at the behest of Khan.
Khan’s disqualification in the foreign gifts case had sparked protests in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, resulting in the arrest of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker and his two police guards after a clash between protesters and police outside the ECP. The shot was fired by the KP police guard of MNA Saleh Mohammad.
Previously, on April 18, the court had granted him an extension of bail in eight cases, including those regarding violence outside the Federal Judicial Complex, until May 3.
After Khan requested an extension of bail and exemption from court appearance on May 3, Justice Farooq made it clear that his bail in all the cases would be revoked if he failed to appear in court on that day.
Later on Wednesday, a two-member division bench consisting of Justice Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard Imran’s bail plea in seven cases. Khan was represented by Naeem Haider Panjhuta, Salman Safdar and Faisal Chaudhry, while Islamabad Advocate General Jahangir Jadoon was also present in the court.
One of the cases concerns making allegations against top officers of state institutions and inciting mutiny, for which Imran was granted protective bail by the Lahore High Court on April 14.
During the hearing, Justice Farooq reminded Imran’s lawyers of his previous warning to cancel bail if Imran did not appear in court. The court granted Khan until Thursday to appear, with the warning that his interim bail would be revoked otherwise.
Safdar asked the court for a three- to four-day extension for the former prime minister, but the IHC rejected the plea and adjourned the hearing until the following day.
