Even apology may not save Imran: Justice Shaiq Usmani

Commenting on the legal repercussions of Imran Khan’s threat to a judge, former Sindh High Court chief justice Shaiq Usmani has said that the PTI chairman can be sentenced to six-month imprisonment for contempt of court, and if this happened, he would be disqualified from contesting elections for five years.

He was speaking on Geo News in its programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath’ on Monday. He said Khan’s case was different from ordinary contempt-of-court cases as he had explicitly named a judge and threatened her with action.

Justice (retd) Usmani added that anyone could criticise a court judgment to any degree, but it was not allowed to criticise a judge, because if that became a norm, no judge would be able to decide cases without fear.

He said that in his zeal, the PTI chairman had committed a big mistake and he was now in peril. The former SHC chief justice was of the view that even if Khan apologised, it might not save him.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Qamar Zaman Kaira asked whether the government should take action against publicly threatening the IG and DIG when the higher judiciary had taken action against the threat to a judicial officer. He asked if the IG and DIG were less important posts than a magistrate.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Talal Chaudhry said an impression has been created about Imran Khan that he is not just “Laadla” but “Laadla Plus”. He maintained that protection of government officials was the responsibility of the government. He was of the view that arresting Khan was not a desire of the government but its responsibility.

Khan would be arrested whenever the government wanted to arrest him, Chaudhry asserted. Speaking in Capital Talk on Geo News, Punjab Advocate General (AG) Ahmed Awais said the PTI chairman should apologise if he had spoken in an inappropriate manner against a female judge.

He said Khan should not feel ashamed in apologising if he had passed an uncalled for remark in an emotional state during a public speech. He added that in response to the show-cause notice, Khan may explain his intention to the high court.

Meanwhile, speaking in a news programme on a private television channel, former attorney general Shah Khawar justified the rationale of the Islamabad High Court behind taking notice of Imran Khan’s intimidating remark targeting the female judge.

He said that normally, the Supreme Court and high courts showed restraint towards remarks against them and often discharged contempt of court cases after the alleged contemnor had offered unconditional apology.

But this time, Khawar said, a judge from the lower judiciary had been threatened, which had caused insecurity in the lower judiciary, of which the Islamabad High Court had taken notice in order to boost the morale of the lower judiciary.

The former attorney general said the only reprieve in contempt of court cases came through showing remorse and offering apology. He said Khan was a popular leader, and in order to continue with politics, he should as soon as possible tender apology for threatening the female judge after explicitly naming her.