Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan expressed concern and surprise on Thursday as his legal team informed him about the change of the judge presiding over the case involving Judge Zeba Chaudhry’s allegations against him.
One of PTI chief’s legal counsels, Salman Safdar, stated during a media briefing outside Attock jail after meeting Imran Khan, “The PTI chairman was taken aback and deeply concerned by the sudden change in the judge overseeing the Judge Zeba Chaudhry case.
“Salman Safdar further emphasized that Judge Malik Aman, who had been handling the case, was expected to deliver a verdict shortly, making the timing of the judge’s replacement highly unusual.Additionally, Salman revealed that Imran Khan personally visited Judge Zeba Chaudhry’s courtroom and extended an apology for the remarks he had made against her during a public gathering.
The PTI chief had faced charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act for allegedly threatening additional sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and senior police officers from Islamabad Police during a public rally in August the previous year.Following these charges, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had initiated contempt of court proceedings against the former prime minister. Subsequently, the high court dropped the terrorism-related charges and granted clemency to Imran Khan after he apologized in the contempt case.Nevertheless, another case had been filed against the PTI chief, which remained pending before the sessions court after the initial First Information Report (FIR) against him.
Regarding the cipher case, the PTI chief’s lawyer stated that Imran Khan felt extremely disheartened after failing to secure bail. The lawyer argued, “There has been no breach of the Official Secrets Act,” and mentioned that they discussed the suspension of bails in nine cases and the nine cases currently under consideration in the IHC during their meeting.
Last month, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had charged PTI chief Imran Khan and his party’s vice chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, under the Official Secrets Act, alleging the misplacement and misuse of classified documents for political gain.
