During his first courtroom interaction with Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, former premier Imran Khan complained about difficulties seeking legal assistance. Imran, incarcerated at Adiala Jail, said, “They (jail authorities) do not let me meet my legal team. I am being kept in solitary confinement. I neither have any material nor a library to prepare for the case.”
Hearing on Accountability Laws
The five-member bench resumed hearing intra-court appeals (ICAs) against the Supreme Court’s September 15 judgment, which struck down amendments to the anti-graft laws. The bench, led by Chief Justice Isa and including Justices Athar Minallah, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Hasan Azhar Rizvi, decided in a 4:1 ruling not to stream the proceedings live. Justice Minallah dissented.
The Supreme Court had previously ordered the federal and Punjab governments to facilitate Imran’s appearance via video link from Adiala Jail. Although the May 14 hearing was broadcast live, the last one was not, and the reason remains unclear.
Court Orders and Arguments
The bench took a short break to consider live-streaming the hearing. In a majority decision, they chose not to, with Justice Minallah dissenting. Chief Justice Isa explained, “After consultation, we decided the hearing would not be streamed live. We did not want to make any decision in a hurry.”
Government counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan argued that the NAB amendments were part of the “government’s policy” and that “the judiciary cannot interfere in the Parliament’s powers.” Justice Minallah asked about reasons supporting the argument that the amendments were against the Constitution. He highlighted that “the Balochistan High Court heard cases [of corruption] worth Rs500,000.”
Justice Isa assured Imran that he would be provided with the required material and allowed to meet his lawyers. The court ordered that Imran be allowed to meet senior counsel Khawaja Haris for legal assistance and provided them with the complete case records.
The hearing was adjourned until next week, with the chief justice saying the date would be announced after reviewing the schedule. Imran was allowed to present his arguments or have Haris argue on his behalf.
CJP reiterated that Haris could meet Imran “whenever he wants,” and only one or two lawyers could meet the PTI founder as needed. Haris stated he would need three hours to present his arguments, while Makhdoom had concluded his arguments in the case.
