The Lahore High Court on July 25 declared former Prime Minster Imran Khan’s physical remand in 12 cases in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) related to May 9 null and void.
The hearing on the petitions against the physical remand in 12 cases of the PTI founder was conducted by Justice Tariq Saleem and Justice Anwar-ul-Haq, two members of the bench. During the hearing, the Prosecutor General of Punjab presented arguments.
During the hearing, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh remarked that the “accused could not be forced to undergo a photogrammetric test.”
Earlier, Khan refused to take forensic tests, including polygraph, photogrammetry and voice matching tests, as Lahore police tried to interrogate him in these 12 cases.
In his arguments, the prosecutor stated that the facility for the photogrammetric test is available within the jail and does not require outside transportation.
He emphasized that denying the prosecution the full opportunity to present its case would be unfair, adding that the prosecution is entirely responsible for any failures in the case.
The Prosecutor General noted that Imran Khan created a specific narrative through tweets, and retrieving the phones used for tweeting and WhatsApp messaging is impossible without an investigation.
The court responded by pointing out that judges often receive threats. Justice Anwar-ul-Haq questioned how the accused could be taken anywhere for investigation when he is in jail, making phone recovery impossible.
In the end, the court decided to declare Imran Khan’s physical remand in the 12 cases null and void and also nullify the notification for his video link appearance as the PTI founder.