The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has clarified opening its doors late on Saturday, when the fate of a no-trust resolution against former prime minister Imran Khan hung in the balance and rumours were rife that Mr Khan might de-notify the army chief in his attempt “to play till the last ball”.
Meanwhile, a petition was also filed in the IHC on Saturday night, asking the court to restrain Mr Khan from de-notifying Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa as chief of the army staff.
Another petition by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) requested the court to avert a constitutional crisis and implement the Supreme Court’s April 7 order.
“The filing of petitions late in the evening on April 9, 2022, has been misreported and queries have been raised whether petitions can be presented after the notified court timings,” the IHC said in a statement issued on Monday.
IHC clarifies why its doors opened late at night on April 9
In its statement, the IHC referred to two circulars issued on Nov 11, 2019 and Feb 10, 2021 that prescribed “the manner of presentation of petitions after court timing”.
Through these circulars, the IHC notified that in case of an imminent threat to the life or liberty of a citizen or any other important matter, the registrar office can receive the petition and transmit it to the chief justice even after court timing.
“As a constitutional court, the Islamabad High Court has ensured that cases relating to extreme urgency are presented at any time after the notified timings,” the high court said, adding: “The honourable chief justice, if satisfied that there exists extreme urgency, may order fixing of the case at any time.”