ISLAMABAD: Judge Humayun Dilawar, who had sentenced former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, has been made Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
This decision was conveyed through a notification issued by the Registrar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), following instructions from IHC Chief Justice Amir Farooq, who is hearing the Imran Khan’s plea against Toskhana verdict.
The notification states that Judge Dilawar has been removed from his position as Additional Sessions Judge and has been assigned the role of OSD. He has been directed to report to the Islamabad High Court.
Judge Dilawar had handed down a three-year prison sentence and a five-year ban on holding public office to PTI Chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana criminal case earlier this month. Following the verdict, Imran Khan was arrested from his residence in Zaman Park on August 6 and taken to Attock jail, where he is currently serving his sentence.
The PTI had challenged this decision in both the Islamabad High Court and the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court considered Imran Khan’s plea in a recent hearing, during which Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial indicated that the court would await the Islamabad High Court’s decision before making its own ruling.
While IHC Chief Justice Farooq in today hearing termed the trial court decision wrong and expressed a different approach, stating, “We will not do what the trial court did in the Toshakhana case.”
IHC Postpones Imran Khan’s Toshakhana Case
Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court has rescheduled the hearing for Imran Khan’s plea against his conviction and the subsequent suspension of his sentence in the Toshakhana criminal case. The adjournment was prompted by the absence of Amjad Pervaiz, the lawyer representing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The case was presented before a division bench comprised of IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri. Acknowledging the absence of ECP’s lawyer, Amjad Pervaiz, the court granted his request for an adjournment. The hearing has now been rescheduled for the upcoming Monday.