The Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed a petition seeking the disqualification of former prime minister Imran Khan for allegedly concealing his daughter, Tyrian White.
A three-member bench, including Justices Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Arbab Mohammad Tahir, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz, reviewed the petition on Tuesday after nearly a year.
The court based its decision on a prior dismissal by a three-judge bench. This referred to an incident on May 10, 2023, when two judges’ opinions supporting the dismissal were posted on the IHC website.
Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Arbab Mohammad Tahir supported the dismissal. However, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq found the petition maintainable. Shortly after posting, the majority judgment was removed from the website, and the IHC chief justice dissolved the bench.
Read: IHC Dismisses Disqualification Petition Against Imran Khan in Tyrian White Case
Later, the registrar clarified that the majority opinion “does not constitute the judgement of the court.” Tuesday’s ruling, however, contradicted this stance.
During the brief hearing, Justice Jahangiri read the previous year’s opinion in a sealed envelope and ruled that the case had already been dismissed.
PTI welcomed the judgment, stating that two judges had already decided the case, but the IHC CJ “tried to keep it alive on technicalities.” Senior lawyers questioned why the case was not decided on its merits.
Senior lawyer Ahsanuddin Sheikh questioned the need for a fresh bench if the case had been decided earlier. He believed the two judges’ opinions were not binding on the new three-judge bench and added that the petitioner could appeal to the Supreme Court.
The case stalled for almost a year and continued to stir controversies. Six IHC judges referenced it in a scathing letter to the Supreme Judicial Council, complaining of intelligence agencies’ meddling.
