Court Denies Early Hearing Of Imran Khan’s Disqualification

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea for an expedited hearing of the application by Imran Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), seeking to overturn his disqualification for participation in the upcoming general elections. Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan, Sardar Tariq Masood, stated that the petition, challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision in the Toshakhana case, could not be taken up by the apex court this week.

Justice Masood noted that a three-member bench should ideally hear the case, but due to the ongoing winter vacation, only a two-judge panel was available. He emphasized that the two-judge bench could not grant interim relief since the high court’s decision was issued by a division bench. At one point, Justice Athar Minallah remarked that suspending a decision on disqualification would not halt the punishment imposed by the court.

Read more : Imran Seeks SC To Suspend Toshakhana Conviction

The Acting Chief Justice mentioned that Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa would return the following week, suggesting a potential timeline for the case. Last week, Imran Khan had approached the Supreme Court after the IHC rejected his plea related to the Toshakhana trial case.

Imran Khan, despite spending four months in jail, is striving to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, according to statements from his party. However, legal experts express skepticism due to his previous conviction in a graft case. In a bid to clear the path for his candidacy in the next polls, the former cricket star sought the intervention of the country’s top court to challenge the Islamabad High Court’s decision, which currently bars him from contesting the imminent general elections set to take place in two months. Imran Khan’s legal counsel, Latif Khosa, filed a petition urging the suspension of the Toshakhana-related decision to enable the PTI founder’s participation in the upcoming elections.