Islamabad:
Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan has written a letter to the President of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, who asks him to intervene to guarantee a fair trial of persons awarded in the Anti -Terrorist Courts (ATC) for his alleged roles in the disturbances after May 9, 2023, the arrest of the founder of the founder of PTI Imran Khan.
In the “appeal” of four pages, the opposition leader, who belongs to the PTI, highlighted the alleged irregularities that occur during the trials of May 9. The ATCs are bound by the Supreme Court to conclude all these cases of cases of May 9 for the first week of August.
According to Omar, the integrity of the judicial process of Pakistan is under serious threat, since these judgments, which are supposed to exemplify justice, have become a means of political persecution. “The ATCs in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha and other cities listen to cases related to May 9 with a speed and way that they shock the awareness of any impartial observer.
“The audiences begin early in the morning and extend until late at night; in fact, it is reliably informed that in some cases the procedures continue until 2:00 am to 3:00 am.” This is crushed justice and the justice buried under the weight of exhaustion, coercion and hurry, “he added.
He affirmed that such schedule was not precedents in the annals of the Pakistani jurisprudence, since it ignored the most basic principles of a fair judgment, including the right of the accused to a significant opportunity to prepare and present a defense, and the solemn obligation of the Judiciary to carry out judgments with dignity, transparency and concern.
He also referred to the motto of Pakistan’s Supreme Court that justice should not only be done, but must be manifest and undoubtedly. He regretted that during the trials of May 9, this cardinal principle has been systematically violated.
Omar said that leadership, workers and supporters of the PTI were unfairly involved through a process that seemed bad and politically motivated. Police reports and prosecution lack credible evidence and are plagued by procedural irregularities, he added.
He also narrated numerous cases of fiscal overreach and miscarriage, including the manufacture of FIR, coercive interrogation tactics and the selective record of cases against opposition figures, since they undermine the rule of law and public confidence in the justice system.
Referring to the right to the election lawyer, he said that a fundamental right enshrined in article 10 of the Constitution has been trampled. He said that the ATC frequently denies the postponements and, in many cases, threaten or proceed to appoint state advice without the consent of the accused.
“This practice not only violates constitutional guarantees, but also violates the justly recognized standards of trial, including those established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 10) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 14), to which Pakistan is part of the party,” he wrote.
“If these essays are allowed to continue in current conditions, with the judicial reputation and the confidence of the people will be irrevocable.”
