Hamid Khan, the lawyer for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, came under fire from Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail after criticizing the judiciary during a Supreme Court hearing on Monday.
The hearing, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, addressed a petition filed by Imran Khan concerning fraud allegations related to the 2024 general elections. The six-member bench adjourned the case indefinitely to allow the petitioner’s legal team more time to respond to objections raised by the court’s registrar.
During the hearing, Hamid Khan criticized the judiciary for not taking suo motu notice of election-related issues, calling it “weak.” In response, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail cautioned the senior lawyer, advising him to be careful with his words: “You are a senior lawyer; choose your words carefully.”
The bench highlighted procedural concerns, with Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar advising the petitioner’s counsel to come better prepared for the next hearing. Justice Mandokhail also questioned whether the entire election could be deemed flawed, suggesting separate inquiries might be needed for each constituency.
Hamid Khan argued that the court had jurisdiction under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, but the bench reminded him that relevant forums must be exhausted before approaching the apex court.
The court granted Hamid Khan more time to address the registrar’s objections.
PTI to Appeal Al-Qadir Trust Ruling
In other news, PTI is set to challenge the controversial ruling in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case in the high court on January 21 (Tuesday). The party claims that Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were “wrongly” convicted.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed on Sunday that the party would file an appeal to overturn the decision, which they consider an “egregious miscarriage of justice.”
He expressed hope that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s names would be cleared in the first hearing, calling the judgment a “blatant travesty of justice” driven by political motives and fabricated charges.
The decision to appeal followed a core committee meeting that examined the legal and political impact of the verdict, as PTI continues negotiations with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The committee supported party chairman Barrister Gohar Khan’s announcement that talks with the PML-N-led coalition would continue until the deadline for the government’s response to PTI’s demands.
