Almost every day Imran Khan has to appear before a court in one case or another registered against him in the past 6 months. In fact, he is only the person or at least political leader in the world who has been charged with the most crimes.
The ousted Pakistani leader says these are politicized cases and many agreed with him, however, he hasn’t been arrested yet.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday was informed that 121 cases across the country have been registered against the former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.
A three-member bench of the high court comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Justice Aalia Neelum heard the plea.
Khan had filed the plea seeking dismissal of 121 cases registered against him, last month. The plea nominates the federation of Pakistan, the province of Punjab, Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar, and other provincial and federal authorities, as parties.
Among 121 cases registered against Imran Khan, 31 cases in Islamabad, 30 in Lahore, 14 in Faisal Abad, 4 in Bhakar, 3 in Sheikhupura, 2 in Gujranwala, 3 in Jehlum, 3 in Attock, 10 in Rawalpindi, and 5 were lodged in Bahawalpur.
121 مقدمات میں عمران خان پر ساری دفعات لگا دی گئی یہ مقدمات بتارہے ہے کیسے پاکستان کے سب سے مقبول لیڈر عمران خان کو راستے سے ہٹانے کے لئے قانون کی دھجیاں اڑا کر انتقامی کاروائیوں کا نشانہ بنایا جارہا ہے https://t.co/uKPAHepx83 pic.twitter.com/VTE3vCoS0Z
— Farrukh Habib (@FarrukhHabibISF) May 2, 2023
It is worth mention that from murder to terrorism, the authorities included almost every section of the criminal code in the cases. In other words, they threw the whole book at the former Prime Minister who never has had a case lodged against him during his 71 years of life.
Interestingly, upon hearing this fact, the court asked why the cases were being filed after the change of government.
The PTI chief Imran Khan informed the Lahore High Court on Tuesday that a “third assassination attempt” has been hatched against him.
It is worth mention that from murder to terrorism, the authorities included almost every section of the criminal code in the cases. In other words, they threw the whole book at the former Prime Minister who never has had a case lodged against him during his 71 years of life.
The former PM took to the rostrum and informed the court that he had earlier revealed that there will be an assassination attempt on him and everyone saw what happened in Wazirabad. He claimed that a second attack was to be carried out against him in the Islamabad judicial complex, but luckily he remained safe.
It should be noted that last month, police arrived at the home of former PM in Lahore to arrest him after he failed to show up to hearings for an ongoing corruption case. Khan blamed security concerns for his failure to appear—he survived an assassination attempt last November—and avoided arrest by vowing to come into court days later. But the police raid at his home sparked protests across the country as his passionate supporters took to the streets to defend their leader.
The Pakistani judiciary is forced to mediate contentious political disputes as cases against Khan go through the courts. What happens next might reveal how much Khan’s political rhetoric and the military establishment influence judges.
The fact that PTI has been able to withstand pressure from the country’s strong military establishment indicates that Pakistan’s political landscape has changed a lot in the years since Khan initially came to prominence. In Pakistani politics, the military has traditionally played a domineering role. However, experts claim that Khan’s so far successful avoidance of arrest indicates either that there is disagreement about PTI within the country’s most powerful institutions or that the military’s hold on politics may have loosened. Khan has increased his power over a group of devoted supporters who appear to think the future of the nation is in his hands during current political turbulence.
