• Fawad fails to turn up, Asad appears sans lawyer; hearing put off to Oct 24
• PTI alleges electoral body focusing on ‘minus-Imran agenda’

ISLAMABAD: In a surprise move, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Wed­nesday asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to issue a production order for its Chairman Imran Khan in the contempt of the commission case.

The request was made by the former prime minister’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen before a four-member ECP bench, headed by member Sindh Nisar Ahmed Durrani, hearing the contempt case against the PTI chairman. He said the PTI chairman was in jail and thus unable to turn up unless an order was issued for his production.

“We will frame charge and what you have to present in self-defence is your own will,” remarked Shah Mohammad Jatoi, member ECP from Balochistan.

Nisar Durrani contended that the accused might submit a reply to the notice first and then the commission would issue the production order. He said the PTI chairman had previously avoided appearing before the ECP and now it was being desired that his production order be issued.

The hearing of the case was adjourned till October 24.

During the hearing of contempt case against former PTI leader Fawad Chaud­hry, his lawyer told the ECP bench that his client could not come because of illness.

At this, ECP member Ikram Ullah said: “You have adopted the attitude that you do not appear here”.

The bench head said an appropriate order would be passed on this matter.

When the ECP bench asked PTI’s former secretary general Asad Umar, the third alleged contemnor of the electoral body, about the absence of his main lawyer, he said he himself was present before the forum.

Mr Umar requested for adjournment of the case till October 24. To his request, the ECP bench head quipped that by that time the health of Fawad Chaudhry would also improve and “you would be able to meet him as well”.

The case was adjourned till October 24.

‘Minus-Imran agenda’

Reacting to the continuation of proceedings against the former PM, a PTI spokesman alleged that the ECP had tur­ned its back to its constitutional responsibilities to hold elections and was focusing all its attention on the “minus-Imran Khan agenda” which was evident from its unusual interest and eagerness to accelerate the proceedings on politically motivated cases against the PTI chairman.

The PTI spokesman charged that since they could not get the desired results in the ‘concocted’ Toshakhana case, the ECP wanted to achieve the goals by implicating Imran Khan in the contempt case. He made it clear that the PTI was neither scared of such unconstitutional and immoral tactics based on political vendetta and prejudice before nor would it be petrified now.

The spokesman said the PTI would never accept any illegal and unconstitutional decision or action of the ECP against the party chairman come what may. He strongly reacted to the electoral watchdog’s ‘extraordinary eagerness and enthusiasm to speedily decide the politically motivated, fabricated and false cases’ against the PTI chairman and said the nation would not accept any unlawful and unconstitutional decision by the commission.

He said the PTI strongly rejected the electoral body’s all unconstitutional and illegal attempts to make Imran Khan a target of retribution and to minus him from politics.

He alleged that the ECP was playing a “main stooge role in deviating from the Constitution and murder of democracy in the country”.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2023