Imran Khan Fears Court Martial, Appeals to Islamabad High Court
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has approached the Islamabad High Court to prevent a possible court martial related to the May 9 riots. Khan’s petition highlights fears of being tried in a military court, citing recent arrests and statements by government officials. He argues that such a trial would be unconstitutional and requests that his cases be heard in civilian courts.
Details of the Petition
Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), expressed concerns about being court-martialed due to FIRs registered against him in Rawalpindi. He mentioned the recent arrest of former ISI Director-General, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (ret), speculating that Hameed might be used as a witness against him.
Khan also referred to statements by Barrister Aqeel Malik, a federal government spokesman for legal affairs, and federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, indicating that the Punjab government could decide to refer his cases to a military court.
Legal Arguments
In his petition, Khan argued that a court martial would contradict a Supreme Court judgement that deemed the trial of civilians through court martial unconstitutional. He claimed that the manner in which army authorities obtained custody of detainees related to the May 9 events was illegal.
Requests to the Court
Khan urged the Islamabad High Court to direct various state authorities, including the interior, defence, and law secretaries, as well as police and prison officials, not to hand over his custody to military authorities. He requested that his cases be heard in civilian courts.
Doubts Revealed
Imran Khan -: Imran Khan is a famous politician and former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was also a well-known cricketer before entering politics.
Court Martial -: A court martial is a military court that tries members of the armed forces for breaking military laws. It is different from regular courts that handle civilian cases.
Islamabad High Court -: The Islamabad High Court is a major court in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. It deals with important legal cases and issues in the region.
May 9 riots -: The May 9 riots refer to violent protests that happened in Pakistan on May 9. These events led to many arrests and legal actions.
Military court -: A military court is a special court that deals with crimes committed by soldiers or military personnel. It follows different rules compared to civilian courts.
Unconstitutional -: Unconstitutional means something that goes against the rules set by a country’s constitution. The constitution is like a big rule book for how the country should be run.
Civilian courts -: Civilian courts are regular courts that handle legal cases involving everyday people, not soldiers or military personnel.
