Gohar asks SC to take notice of Justice Jahangiri’s suspension

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said that the Supreme Court should take notice of the suspension of Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, adding that judicial differences which were earlier limited to chambers and written letters have now turned into open disputes inside courtrooms.

Speaking to the media at the Peshawar High Court (PHC), Barrister Gohar said that doors of justice were already closed for them and the PTI had no option but to approach the courts.

“We cannot afford any unconstitutional steps. Justice delivery is the responsibility of the judiciary. Time passes, but history remains,” he added.

Barrister Gohar said that unfortunately political tensions in the country were already high and continue to rise, while for the first time people were losing confidence in the judiciary’s independence.

“It is very unfortunate that Justice Tariq Jahangiri has been suspended. The Constitution does not provide such a provision. The Supreme Court had already settled this matter during the then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s tenure, when a full court ruled that no judge could be barred from performing judicial work as it was equivalent to termination of service,” he explained.

The PTI chairman warned that such disputes among judges would further erode public trust in the judiciary.

He demanded that the Supreme Court take immediate action, while also urging the IHC to hear the pending cases of PTI’s founding chairman. “If judges are embroiled in such conflicts, then the public will have no faith left in the courts,” he cautioned.

The PTI chairman said the judiciary should proceed with PTI’s pending cases strictly in accordance with law. “If cases had been heard on merit, our lawmakers would not have been collectively sentenced to 100 years,” he claimed. He said that if the Supreme Court had monitored lower courts, they would not have passed such judgements. Barrister Gohar stressed that societies collapse when justice is denied. He added that the time had come to move beyond “politics of punishment” and focus on the country’s real issues. “When the most popular leader of the country is imprisoned, it spreads despair among the people, which breeds hatred and puts governments at risk. This harms the economy and the country,” he said.

He announced that the PTI would hold a public gathering in Peshawar on September 27, adding that the responsibility for the rally’s arrangements would rest with the chief minister. “People from across the country will attend to peacefully raise their voice for their rights,” he said.

Barrister Gohar also said that a PTI meeting had been convened in Islamabad on the instructions of the founding chairman, where the KP chief minister would brief the party about the law and order situation in the province, relations with Afghanistan, and the flood situation.

He said the PTI wanted to find solutions while remaining within the system. “If we don’t go to court and argue our cases, how can we expect relief?” he asked.

The PTI chairman added that if any unrest or foreign intervention occurred in a province, it was the responsibility of the federal government to address it with provincial support.

“We have opposed a large-scale operation, and have been assured that no such operation is under way, only intelligence-based targeted actions,” he concluded.