ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday adjourned the proceedings without progress in the case pertaining PTI chairman Imran Khan’s plea for the suspension of his three-year jail term in Toshakhana case as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s lawyer, Ajmad Pervez didn’t show up in the court owing to ‘illness’.
Latif Khosa, Imran Khan’s lawyer told the court that the sentence could be suspended even without going into the merits of the case, however, the court adjourned the case until Monday.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was likely to announce a decision in the case as the court was to hear the ECP lawyer today.
A day earlier, the top court had put off proceedings regarding the Toshakhana case till the decision of the IHC, stating it didn’t want to “duplicate the proceedings”.
On Thursday, the PTI chief’s lawyer Latif Khosa argued before the IHC division bench comprising of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, focusing on three points: the release of Imran Khan owing to a short sentence, jurisdictional defects, and improper authorisation by the ECP.
He argued that appellate courts could suspend such a short sentence even without examining the merits of the case. He further said that President Arif Alvi on August 14, remitted sentences of prisoners and in light of the move, Khan’s sentence was also reduced by six months.
Khosa told the court that Imran Khan was now supposed to undergo two-and-a-half years imprisonment and the court could suspend his sentence. He further argued that the trial court did not examine the jurisdiction of the complaint filed by the electoral body.
IHC Chief Justice had observed that the court would look into the matter related to the ‘haste’ shown by Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar, administratively.
