GHQ’s case has reached another road coup, this time on WhatsApp. The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-Iiafaf Imran Khan received the order to attend the trial through Videolink at the last audience, which Imran opposed vehemently. Imran’s lawyers and Imran himself announced their boycott for the procedures of the case and have asked the Superior Court of Lahore to allow Imran to be physically present during the hearings.
Imran’s lawyers, Salman Akram Raja, challenged on Tuesday the notification of the Department of Origin in the Superior Court of Lahore (LHC). The petition argued that according to article 10 of the Constitution, a fair trial is mandatory.
The petition requested that the video link trial be declared illegal and unconstitutional, and that all procedures recorded through the WhatsApp link will become void and null.
According to the petitioner, in a trial in jail, the defendants, the lawyers and the family are present, allowing adequate consultation. However, the video link and WhatsApp trials violate the rules of just judgment. The petition emphasized urgent legal points and requested an accelerated hearing.
The request details that for a fair trial, Imran must be produced from the prison before the court, and that the remaining half of the trial, which has already taken place partially through jail hearings, is carried out as an open jail trial.
The initial hearing of the petition is expected on Wednesday, September 25 before a division bank of Judge Sadqat Ali Khan and Judge Waheed Khan.
Read: When was the last time you saw Imran Khan?
MEDIA ADDRESS
After boycotting the judicial procedures, the lawyer of the founder of PTI, Salman Akram Raja, told the media that Imran was presented through a video link in the court at the last hearing on September 19, but both the audio and the video were poor. They requested to speak with the founder of PTI, but due to the weak connection, the communication was not possible.
He said that it is not possible to discuss certain issues openly in court, since some points cannot be done in public. The founder of PTI does not know what is happening in the courtroom, and have presented a request in the Court, stating that they cannot participate in the trial in these conditions.
Salman Akram Raja said the trial, as is currently mocking the legal concept of a fair trial. He stressed that the trial should be carried out in an open court, allowing the accused to consult with lawyers and observe the witnesses. The defendant has the right to confront witnesses directly, creating responsibility.
He said that the founder of PTI has been deliberately isolated in a closed room so that he cannot see the procedures. “We leave and we will not participate in this trial whenever it continues in this way. We have also presented a request at the Rawalpindi Bank of the Superior Court of Lahore and we hope that it will be heard soon,” he added.
He pointed out that in the Cypher case, the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC) had declared an illegal similar trial. If the lawyers are present, the legal consultation is possible. “The trial has been ongoing for a year and a half, and using a video link is an attempt to isolate the founder of PTI,” he said.
Raja added that there is no reason for witnesses and lawyers to be present at the Court, while the founder of PTI is in a video link. “During the audiences of the prison in Adiala, everyone is present, and the founder of PTI can communicate and freely consult with everyone there.”
GHQ attack
An anti -terrorism court (ATC) in December 2024 accused former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other PTI leaders in relation to the attack of May 9, 2023 against the General Headquarters (GHQ).
Earlier this year, Imran Khan was arrested in the case of GHQ attack, and shortly after, his release order was issued in the Cypher case. Express News obtained a copy of the GHQ Attack case, describing 27 severe positions against Imran Khan and other accused people.
Read more: Imran Khan accused in the case of May 9 attack by GHQ
The report alleges that, under the leadership of former provincial law minister, Raja Basharat, the defendant assaulted the GHQ door, causing significant damage to property despite the fact that military personnel warned that it is warned.
It is also alleged that the defendants divided into sensitive areas of GHQ, caught fires, threw gasoline bombs and created chaos inside the facilities.
According to the report, the songs like “No Pakistan without Khan” and “behind this terrorism is the uniform” supposedly raised, attacking military personnel and attacking the reputation of the armed forces of Pakistan.
The investigation report establishes that the attacks were also carried out in sensitive ISI and GHQ offices, characterizing the protest as a criminal conspiracy.
