Imran Khan to be indicted in contempt case today

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

PTI Chairman Imran Khan will be indicted in contempt of court case by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) today.

The PTI chairman will appear before a five-member bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah.

Islamabad authorities were preparing to enhance security at the high court with the deployment of additional contingents from police and paramilitary forces expected.

The IHC registrar Wednesday issued a circular notifying the code of conduct for the hearing, allowing only 15 members of Imran Khan’s team to accompany him.

The larger bench will commence the hearing at 2:30pm on September 22 in courtroom No. 1, where only pass holders will be allowed in, according to the circular.

It said that 15 members of Imran Khan’s legal team will be allowed to enter the courtroom. The attorney general office and advocate general office will issue passes to 15 law officers, it said.

Three amici curiae and 15 journalists covering the court will also be allowed.

Five lawyers each from the High Court Bar and the District Bar will attend the hearing.

The registrar has instructed the police and district administration to ensure security arrangements in order to maintain the court decorum.

On the previous hearing, the court decided that the former prime minister will be indicted on Tuesday, September 22, after he failed to offer an unconditional apology for issuing a threat to Islamabad Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.

Imran Khan issued the alleged threat addressing a public rally in Islamabad in August after the judge remanded his close aide Gill to police custody.

Islamabad police had also registered a terror case against him.

However, earlier this week the Islamabad High Court quashed the terrorism charges against the PTI chief.