ISLAMABAD: A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday resumed the hearing of a disqualification petition against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Secretary General Jahangir Tareen, filed by PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi.
Khan’s council Naeem Bukhari presented his arguments as the court resumed the hearing.
Bukhari said that the petitioner has been giving an impression that his client is changing stance in the case, which is not true.
He was responding to the petitioner’s counsel Akram Sheikh’s assertion that Khan has changed his stance as many as eight times in the case.
Earlier, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the new documents submitted by the PTI chief are misleading.
To which Chief Justice Saqib Nisar remarked that the PTI chief submitted all relevant financial records. “Mr. Khan submitted the records [which] the petitioner even did not demand.”
He ruled that the top court wants both parties to get the equal chance in the case to present their arguments.
The CJP said that the bench will determine whether Mr. Khan lied as a parliamentarian or not in connection with the Bani Gala money trail.
“The receipts of Bani Gala money trail from Jemima to Imran have been examined,” he added.
The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow (Tuesday).
Disqualification Petition
Abbasi filed the petition in the apex court in May this year, seeking disqualification of PTI chairman Imran Khan and another party leader Jahangir Tareen for tax evasion and concealing income sources.
Petitioner Hanif Abbasi had alleged that Imran Khan impeding ongoing development projects as part of an international conspiracy against Pakistan, which he believed had gained momentum in current tenure of the ruling party.
The petition is being heard by a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nasir, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab.
In the last hearing, held on September 12, the top court bench, headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, expressed dissatisfaction on records provided by PTI Chairman Imran Khan with regard to his Bani Gala property while ruling that the party chief still had to submit the financial details.
The three-judge bench had noted that the contradictory stances have been adopted by the party counsel.
