The election commission tribunal adjourned the contempt case on Monday against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairperson Imran Khan and former federal ministers Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry due to the non-appearance of the accused.
A four-member commission led by the Election Commission of Pakistan’s Sindh member Nisar Durrani took up the case. The accused were to be indicted Monday on charges of insulting the electoral body and its chief commissioner.
The PTI chairperson and Fawad are both currently incarcerated in separate cases.
During proceedings, Durrani remarked that if there are prevailing security concerns then the hearing can be held in prison. To this, the interior secretary replied that the tribunal could do so if it wished to. We have no objections to this, maintained the secretary.
A member of the commission then asked whether the law would permit this. To which, the interior secretary replied that the law ministry would have to be consulted on the matter. Fawad’s lawyer apprised the court that his client is on judicial remand in Adiala Jail.
A member of the commission observed that the ECP is an independent constitutional body with its own rules. No other law apart from the Constitution and the Election Act is applicable on it, said the member. The tribunal adjourned the hearing till December 6.
Meanwhile, the caretaker federal cabinet on Monday approved the jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
The cabinet gave its assent to the summary by the Ministry of Law regarding the former prime minister and foreign minister’s trial in the Adiala jail due to security concerns. In its summary, the ministry wrote that it had issued a no-objection certificate for the jail trial on August 29 which was requested by the Interior Ministry and Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain.
