RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday were indicted in contempt of the Election Commission of Pakistan and the chief election commissioner (CEC), the lawyers confirmed.
An ECP bench, comprising four its members presided over the proceedings in Adiala Jail, where were both Imran Khan Fawad Ch have been incarcerated.
The case was heard in-camera by a four-member bench of headed by Nisar Ahmed Durrani in Adiala Jail and further hearing of the case was adjourned till January 16.
PTI lawyer Intazar Hussain Panjutha posted on his x account that Imran was indicted in the absence of his lawyers. “No one has seen such a controversial election commission in the history of Pakistan,” he said.
During the hearing, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) formally indicted Imran Khan and Fawad Chaudhry. Both individuals, however, vehemently denied the charges leveled against them. Imran Khan accused the Election Commission members of bias, alleging a lack of impartiality in the proceedings.
The ECP commission provided copies of the case to the former prime minister and the ex-federal minister, summoning witnesses to record their statements on January 16. The further hearing of the contempt of the election commission case was adjourned until January 16, following which Election Commission members left Adiala Jail.
In October 2022, the ECP had initiated contempt proceedings against the PTI chief, former party leader Asad Umar and Fawad for allegedly using “intemperate” language against the chief election commissioner and the electoral watchdog.
However, instead of appearing before the ECP, the three had challenged the ECP notices and contempt proceedings in various high courts arguing that Section 10 of the Elections Act 2017, which is the statutory provision regarding the commission’s power to punish for contempt, was against the Constitution. The PTI leaders had also sought from the high courts a declaratory relief from the charges.
But in January 2023, the Supreme Court had allowed the ECP to continue proceedings against Imran, Chaudhry and Umar, and on June 21, the ECP decided to frame charges against the trio.
Meanwhile, former Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry has challenged the jail trial in the High Court. Fawad Ch argued that holding a jail trial in the case constitutes a misuse of powers and infringes upon the petitioner’s basic human rights.
In his plea to the court, Fawad Chaudhry has urged the cessation of the jail trial and called for an open court proceeding against the petitioner. He further requested the court to direct his presentation before the Election Commission. The High Court is expected to deliberate on these challenges in due course.
Talking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Hiba Fawad Chaudhary, the former information minister’s wife, said both Fawad and Imran had been indicted by the ECP.
Quoting her husband, she said he argued before the ECP that there was a reference against one of the members of the bench hearing the case.
She also said that Fawad was indicted despite not having submitted his reply to a show-cause notice issued to him by the commission. She requested the ECP to allow her husband to respond to the show-cause notice before conducting further proceedings.
