LAHORE: PTI chairman Imran Khan has asked the Lahore High Court to set aside a decision by the Punjab government to prosecute him and other leaders of his party on charges of involvement in the May 9 riots.

Last week, the Punjab cabinet had approved fresh legal action against the former prime minister and other PTI leaders for “building a hate-narrative against state institutions”.

According to Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, Mr Khan had constantly been building a narrative against state institutions, which was why the provincial cabinet had decided to take action.

In a petition filed through senior lawyer and MNA Sardar Latif Khan Khosa on Wednesday, the incarcerated former prime minister pleaded that the federal and Punjab governments are scared of him and sensing his release from the false cases. He said both governments wanted to implicate him in fake cases.

Asks LHC to set aside cabinet decision to initiate fresh cases against himself, other PTI leaders

Mr Khan claimed that ever since his removal from power, he and his party leaders, workers and supporters have been persecuted, hounded, incarcerated and subjected to a torturous ordeal.

The petitioner pointed out that on May 24, the Punjab cabinet approved the nomination of PTI leaders in additional cases. The decision was made in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of his arch rival Nawaz Sharif, he added.

He said the government had failed to bring economic stability to the country due to political instability and wrong policies. He said under these circumstances, the Punjab cabinet’s decision would further exacerbate the situation.

The petition stated that Mr Khan had asked for certified copies of the agenda of the cabinet meeting, along with the minutes of the meeting and the decision through a written application addressed to the Punjab home secretary on May 27, but the required information had not been furnished so far.

It argued that the impugned decision by the Punjab cabinet for registration of cases against the petitioner and other PTI leaders was illegal, without jurisdiction, mala fide and of no legal consequence, which ought to be annulled being in violation of Article 10-A and other provisions of the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2024