IHC to hold contempt of court hearing against Imran Khan over remarks against female judge

Islamabad: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday took suo motu of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s statement against Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and decided to conduct contempt of court hearing.

A larger bench of the IHC headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani will take up the suo motu case against the former PM on Tuesday.

Earlier, Imran Khan while addressing the rally held in favour of Dr Shahbaz Gill at F-9 Park said that his party was going to file cases against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, IG Islamabad and female judge.

The former prime minister lauded his workers, saying that people have come out in large numbers on 24 hours notice. Regarding the matter of Dr Shahbaz Gill, the PTI Chairman said that his party will go to the Supreme Court

Comparing the current situation of the country with the era of Genghis Khan, the former prime minister said that Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Asif Ali Zardari, Fazlur Rehman and Khawaja Asif made stronger statements as compared to Shahbaz Gill.

Imran claimed that Shahbaz Gill was captured and tortured to send a message and scare people that if he can be mentally broken then anyone can, adding that a private channel was shut down to throttle freedom of speech, adding that by shutting down the private channel, fear has been spread among other channels.

“If we bow our heads to the idol of fear, we will be left with the sole option of slavery,” the PTI chairman said. Imran further said that in his 26-year political career, he is seeing such an enlightened nation for the first time. The former prime minister said that the sleeping nation has woken up for the first time.

The former prime minister said, “Although we got independence from Britain, today thieves have been imposed on us through foreign conspiracy.” Imran further said that on May 25, police and rangers fired tear-gas shells during a peaceful protest.

Challenging the coalition government, Imran Khan said that whatever the government does, it will not stop the masses, because people want freedom. The former premier claimed that tactics have been used to intimidate social media activists.

Imran Khan said his party will not spare Islamabad’s IG and DIG, saying a vulnerable person was tortured. The former prime minister said they are reluctant to arrest JUI-F chief Fazl.

On the other hand, the PTI chairman was booked for threatening Islamabad police officers and female magistrate under Section 7 of anti-Terrorism act (ATA) regarding his statements at the PTI rally.

Margalla police had registered a case under the complaint of magistrate Ali Javed against the former prime minister on charges of hate speech in an attempt to disturb the peace.

According to the FIR, he threatened and terrorized state organs and tried to pressurize the judiciary and the police. During the rally, he threatened the Islamabad IG, a woman magistrate, and the DIG, the FIR added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan s media regulatory authority had banned the broadcasting of live speeches of Imran Khan for threatening an Islamabad police official and a female magistrate during an address in Islamabad.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said that Imran s recorded speech would only be permitted to be aired after an effective delay mechanism to ensure effective monitoring and editorial control.

“…Chairman PEMRA in view of the above-mentioned background and reasons, in exercise of delegated powers of the Authority vested in Section 27(a) of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002 as amended by PEMRA (Amendment) Act 2007, hereby prohibits the broadcast of live speech of Mr Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect,” the PEMRA said in its notification.

PEMRA imposed this ban on all satellite channels hours after he vowed to file cases against Islamabad s inspector-general, deputy inspector general, and female magistrate for “torturing” Shahbaz Gill. “We will not spare the IG and DIG,” he said while addressing the public gathering at Islamabad s F-9 park.

The former Prime Minister called out Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, who last week had approved Gill s two-day physical remand at the request of the capital police, and said she too should prepare herself as the case will also be registered against her.

The PTI took out the rally in Islamabad in support of the incarcerated leader Shahbaz Gill, who the party said was subjected to alleged “gruesome torture” in police custody.