SC adjourns contempt case hearing against Imran

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned indefinitely the contempt of court case against former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, due to the non-availability of the government’s counsel.

A five-member Constitutional Bench of the apex court of the country, headed by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan and comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Aamir Farooq, heard the contempt of court case filed by the federal government against Imran Khan.

The government had filed the contempt petition in June 2022 against the PTI founder for allegedly violating court orders by extending the long march route four kilometers beyond the designated area to Jinnah Avenue.

The government contended that the participants of the long march blocked roads, causing hardships to citizens.

During the hearing, the court questioned the appearance of Additional Attorney General (AAG) Chaudhry Aamir Rehman in the case.

Justice Mandokhail remarked that in contempt of court proceedings, the attorney general’s office acts as the prosecutor.

The AAG informed the bench that senior lawyer Salman Aslam Butt had been engaged for the case but was unavailable on Friday.

Justice Mandokhail observed that in a contempt case, the petitioner’s role is only to provide information. “The information has been conveyed to the court, so the government’s role is over,” he added.