Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will be formally charged with contempt of court on Thursday, September 22, after he failed to submit an unconditional apology in contempt of court proceedings against him for passing controversial remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge, Zeba Chaudhry.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a circular stated that the proceedings of the case will start at 2:30pm, during which a larger bench of the IHC will frame the charges against Khan.
“A 15-member legal team of Imran Khan, 15 law officers from the office of the attorney-general and advocate-general will be allowed to enter the courtroom,” read the circular.
“[The] Islamabad administration and police will make security arrangements to maintain decorum in court,” it added.
“Imran Khan’s response was unsatisfactory,” said IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, in the last hearing.
Justice Minallah observed that Khan’s replies to the court’s show-cause notice appeared to be “Justifying contempt of the judiciary” and showed “No remorse or regret”.
Expressing his disappointment in the response given by Khan to the court, which was the second of its kind, the court asked: “Even after the court’s input on the matter, this is the response submitted?”
“It seems you want to fight this case […] and do not realise that the case against you is extremely seriously,” noted Justice Minallah.
Declaring subordinate judiciary a ‘red line’, IHC CJ Minallah warned the PTI chairman that threatening a district judge is a more serious offence than threatsning a Supreme Court justice.
