Lawyers Urge Supreme Court to Ensure Justice in Imran Khan’s Case

ISLAMABAD: Lawyers representing former Prime Minister Imran Khan have called on the Supreme Court of Pakistan to ensure justice, insisting that the same legal standards applied to other citizens should also apply to Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.

Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja, and Salman Safdar emphasized that the apex court has a constitutional responsibility to provide justice and should not deny litigants access to legal remedies.

Barrister Gohar stated that the Supreme Court has historically interpreted the law and ruled on appeals against interim orders. He argued that the doors of the Supreme Court should remain open to those seeking justice, adding that denying a legal forum amounts to a denial of justice.

He said the legal team had approached the High Court and the Supreme Court on 27 occasions, stressing that they sought justice through constitutional and legal means rather than creating instability in the country. He also urged the Chief Justice to hear their chamber appeal promptly, claiming that the Supreme Court registry had returned their application.

Senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja maintained that the Supreme Court must uphold its constitutional authority and should not allow its jurisdiction to be diminished. He argued that only appeals in constitutional matters fall under the Constitutional Bench, while the present matter concerns an interim order that should be heard by the Supreme Court. He added that similar petitions had previously been entertained and asserted that the same law applicable to others must also apply to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

Lawyer Salman Safdar said that Imran Khan and his wife have remained in prison for the past 16 months, raising concerns over alleged solitary confinement and medical issues. He argued that the Supreme Court retains jurisdiction over all criminal law matters and questioned the legal basis for the current division of jurisdiction. He also noted that the court had ruled on a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) bail case last month, adding that no one was willing to hear what he described as a “10-minute case” involving Imran Khan.

The lawyers reiterated their appeal for the Supreme Court to hear the matter without further delay and to ensure equal application of the law.