PHC re-issues contempt notice to Imran Khan

Statements about pending cases

By Akhtar Amin
November 13, 2015
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday re-issued contempt of court notice to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, directing him to submit a reply and explain his position for issuing statements about the cases pending before the court.
During hearing of the contempt notice, Advocate General (AG), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abdul Lateef Yousafzai, informed the bench that Imran Khan had contacted him and requested for another two weeks time for submission of his reply to the contempt of court notice case. The bench comprised of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Muhammad Younas Thaheem.
After the request made by Imran Khan was conveyed to the court, the chief justice asked the Advocate General (AG) whether he could appear in a case for the head of a political party in the court.
The AG replied that he had not appeared in the case for Imran Khan but just informed the court about the request Imran Khan conveyed to him. He said Imran Khan would hire a lawyer for the next hearing into the case.
Counsel for the doctors, Khalid Mehmood stated that the political leaders should avoid issuing statements on the cases pending before the courts.
The chief justice remarked that the court was well aware of its jurisdiction in all matters, but the courts were dealing with some matters carefully.
The bench separated the contempt of court case against the PTI chairman from the other cases in which the doctors have challenged the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act 2015.
On previous hearing, a division bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Younas Thahim had issued contempt of court notice to Imran Khan for using derogatory language and issuing threatening statement against doctors who had challenged the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act 2015 and obtained a stay order. “We are issuing contempt of court notice to PTI Chairman Imran Khan. The PTI chief is directed to submit a reply and explain his position for passing statements about the cases, which are pending before the court,” a division bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Younas Thahim had stated in the order.