Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has formally requested the Supreme Court to declare a review petition concerning Article 63A as inadmissible.
The plea was made during a hearing of the case, which is being examined by a five-member larger bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The bench also includes Justices Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Mandokhail, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Mazhar Alam Miankhel.
The proceedings began with Imran Khan’s lawyer, Ali Zafar, attempting to make a preliminary statement. Chief Justice Isa quickly interjected, emphasizing that the court is a place for legal arguments rather than political statements, and suggested that such declarations be made in parliament. Following this exchange, Barrister Zafar objected to the delay in filing the review petition, arguing it rendered it inadmissible because it had not been scheduled due to its delay.
During the session, Shehzad Shoukat, President of the Supreme Court Bar, addressed the court, explaining that the delay in filing the review was due to the anticipation of a detailed judgment despite the availability of a preliminary decision.
Responding to this, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail questioned whether the Supreme Court Bar was unaware of the timeframe for filing review petitions. Shoukat countered that delays in public interest cases are often overlooked, and such cases are expedited. He highlighted that the review had not been scheduled for a hearing for over two years, underscoring the need for timely judicial review in significant public interest cases.
