PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday gave the interior secretary a fortnight’s time to respond to a petition against former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan over his claim that a plot has been hatched to kill him through two hired shooters from South Waziristan tribal district.

A bench consisting of Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Syed Arshad Ali also directed law-enforcement agencies not to “harass” the residents of Waziristan region on the basis of the statement of Mr Imran.

It issued the order after preliminary hearing into a petition of advocate Sajjad Ahmad Mehsud, who sought orders for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief to disclose the source of his information.

The petitioner also requested the court to act against Mr Imran if the former PM failed to share the source of that plot information or his information was found to be false.

He also sought the court’s orders for explanation by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority over the coverage of that assassination claim by TV channels without verification.

The petitioner claimed that the assertion about the hiring of two shooters from South Waziristan tribal district had caused chaos in the area besides giving a bad name to the local population.

Also directs law-enforcers not to harass residents of Waziristan

He prayed the high court to declare illegal the act of Mr Imran as well as that of other respondents, including government functionaries, to ignore the fundamental rights of the people of that area by issuing and allowing the issuance of that statement.

Mr Mehsud sought an interim relief requesting the court to stop the government and other respondents from taking any “adverse action” against inhabitants of South Waziristan on the basis of that claim of assassination plot until the final disposal of the petition.

The petitioner contended that military operations were successfully carried out in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas, especially in South Waziristan district, against militants on different occasions leading to the martyrdom of scores of personnel of security forces, local inhabitants and other people.

He said that the people of the area were displaced before being brought back in phases after their proper clearance and that, too, after their areas were declared free from all miscreants.

The petitioner added that restrictions were imposed on the keeping of arms and ammunition and maintaining links with militants.

He said that while chairing a meeting of his party at his residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park area a few days ago, Mr Imran alleged that a plot had been hatched to kill him and “two professional assassins from South Waziristan” tribal district had been hired for the purpose.

The petitioner said that that controversial statement had led to the negative profiling of the residents of Waziristan region.

He contended that the inhabitants of South Waziristan region had not been treated in accordance with the law and that such misstatement on part of the former prime minister to link them with terrorism had greatly damaged their image.

The petitioner said that the people of South Waziristan district were victims of terrorist activities and they had already seen great devastation, so the impugned statement would make people see them with suspicion in future.

Published in Dawn, February 22th, 2023