On Friday, Imran Khan, the incarcerated Chairman of PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed his delight over the Supreme Court’sverdict, which ordered the reinstatement of corruption cases against publicoffice holders that had been withdrawn due to amendments in the country’saccountability laws, as confirmed by his counsel, Shoaib Shaheen.
In a majority 2-1 decision, a three-member bench of the Supreme Courtupheld Khan’s petition challenging the amendments made to theaccountability laws during the tenure of the previous Pakistan DemocraticMovement (PDM)-led government. The bench, presided over by Chief JusticeUmar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice IjazulAhsan, conducted over 50 hearings on Khan’s petition against the amendmentsand reserved judgment on September 5.
In today’s majority ruling, the Supreme Court reinstated corruption casesagainst public office holders that had been closed following theamendments. This decision has potential implications for former PrimeMinister Nawaz Sharif, former President Asif Ali Zardari, and formerPremier Yousuf Raza Gillani, who may face investigations after the SupremeCourt invalidated nine out of ten amendments made to the NationalAccountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999.
Justice Shah issued a dissenting opinion in the case. Shoaib Shaheen,Khan’s lawyer, confirmed that he had met with the PTI chief, who wassentenced to three years in the Toshakhana case, while imprisoned in Attockjail. Imran Khan was arrested on August 5 on charges of misusing his 2018to 2022 premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession receivedduring foreign visits, valued at more than Rs140 million ($635,000).
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“He was very pleased with the verdict,” said Khan’s lawyer, adding thatdiscussions related to NAB laws took place during the meeting. In responseto a question, Khan’s counsel mentioned, “We could not discuss thepresident’s letter.”
On September 13, President Arif Alvi suggested a cutoff date for holdingelections in a letter to the chief election commissioner (CEC), assertinghis authority to appoint a date for a general election within 90 days ofassembly dissolution, as per Article 48(5) of the Constitution.
