LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday slapped a fine of Rs100,000 on the lawyer of Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, for filing a baseless and unnecessary petition against a possible police operation outside Zaman Park during Eid holidays.

At the outset of the hearing, Advocate Azhar Siddique argued on behalf of Bushra Bibi that police had previously launched an operation outside the Zaman Park residence of the petitioner on March 18.

He said the petitioner had apprehensions that the police were planning another operation during the Eid holidays in line with the previous one.

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh asked the counsel as to how he filed a petition on the basis of mere apprehensions.

The judge observed that the same petition by PTI Chairman Imran Khan was already pending before a larger bench and an order had also been passed on it.

The judge noted that the petition in hand was an exact copy of the petition pending before the larger bench.

“You are wasting the time of the court by filing such petitions,” the judge reminded the lawyer.

He regretted that first Imran Khan filed the petition and now his wife approached the court on the same matter.

The judge observed that peons or sweepers of Zaman Park house would also bring the same issue in the court soon.

Justice Sheikh dismissed the petition for being unnecessary and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the lawyer.

On March 18, a five-member larger bench had restrained the police from ‘harassing’ PTI Chairman Imran Khan as he expressed apprehensions about another operation at his Zaman Park residence during Eidul Fitr holidays.

Justice Sheikh was also a member of the bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi.

Khan had personally appeared before the bench urging it to extend an interim relief against possible police actions during Eid holidays.

The caretaker government of Punjab had opposed the petition of Khan for being based on apprehensions.

The larger bench will resume its hearing on May 2.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2023