ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has directed the Punjab Police Inspector-General to register the FIR of the attack on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan within 24 hours.
The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that the court would take suo motu notice if the FIR was not registered within 24 hours. The Supreme Court said that a national leader has come under attack but the FIR could not be registered despite the passage of 90 days.
Imran Khan has named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and a serving army general as the main suspects behind the attack on him in Wazirabad.
The Supreme Court said that Imran was injured in the murderous attack during the long march in Wazirabad on November 3 but an FIR has not been registered in the incident so far.
Earlier, Imran Khan appealed to the chief justice to take notice of the matter and issue directives to register the FIR as the Punjab police were resorting to dilly-dallying tactics, refusing to entertain the PTI’s application to register the case.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court resumed hearing in the contempt petition of the federal government against the PTI Chairman Imran Khan for violating the commitments given to the apex court not to hold a protest at D-Chowk.
A five-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Mazahar Akbar Naqvi conducting a hearing of the contempt petition.
At the last hearing, the court expressed its displeasure over the conduct of PTI counsel Babar Awan and Faisal Fareed saying that they have breached the court’s trust.
The court has also directed Imran Khan to file a detailed reply on the agencies’ reports and the federal government’s allegations that the undertakings given to the court were breached during the May 25 rally of the party in Islamabad.
During the last hearing, the chief Justice said; “We moved in this case carefully and so far, they have exercised great restraint.”
The court expressed surprise that how Imran Khan on arriving in Islamabad at night on May 25 stated he was aware of the order while in his reply he maintained that he was unaware of the SC order, wherein the planned Azadi March was restricted from entering D-Chowk.
Justice Bandial further said that on May 25, the order was issued to maintain peace. He added: “We do not want our pen to be misused. We have to protect the Constitution.”
Referring to the PTI protest, the CJP said that they bring 20,000 people and make the lives of 200,000 people miserable. He also recalled the judgment of Justice Qazi Faez Isa regarding the Faizabad sit-in, which was issued in light of the TLP sit-in at Faizabad. Justice Bandial also said, “If you believe in democracy, then it would not have happened (violated the SC order).” The political leadership should be a role model to the common citizens, he added.
Justice Ijaz said that as an officer of the court, the Court always trusts the statement of the counsels. He said that they (Babar and Faisal) never told the bench (on 25th May) that they were unable to contact the top leadership of PTI. He said that on their categorical assurance the Court had directed the Islamabad administration to make arrangements for the protest rally of PTI in an area between Sectors G-9 and H-9, Islamabad.
The chief justice said: “When our trust is breached then it is very wrong, and we are disturbed.”
