Pakistan Court Bans Imran Khan, Wife from Making Statements Against State Institutions

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been barred by an anti-corruption court from making ‘provocative’ statements against state institutions. During a hearing on Thursday, Judge Basir Javed Rana of the Accountability Court in Islamabad also called on the media to limit coverage of court proceedings, particularly in regard to the statements made by the accused. As per the court's order, Imran Khan, former PM and founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party made several provocative political statements against state institutions like the army and the judiciary. 

These statements, the judge said, “disrupt judicial decorum and also obstruct judicial functions such as the dispensation of justice.”

The court also instructed the prosecution, the accused and their defence counsels from making any political or inflammatory statements which may disrupt the decorum of the court. 

Furthermore, as noted above, the court also ordered the media to refrain from publishing political and inflammatory narratives targeting state institutions and officials and was asked to adhere to PEMRA guidelines which prohibit discussing ongoing cases.

The former prime minister asserted that premeditated rigging marred the by-polls in Punjab, accusing the Punjab Police of indulging in rigging.

“Democracy hinges on the supremacy of law and the conduct of free and fair elections, yet what we witnessed was jungle law. The interference of the police in the Punjab by-elections is deeply concerning,” Khan said during a media interaction at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

Khan highlighted that the recent by-polls were also conducted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) is ruling, affirming that no instances of rigging transpired in the province.

“There exists no semblance of democracy in the nation presently. The rigging was a pre-emptive move, driven by fear of the events that unfolded on February 8. The postponement of the [general] elections from October to February was a deliberate tactic to suppress the PTI. Even our petition in the Supreme Court remained unheard, as it awaited the demise of the PTI,” he elaborated.

Khan lamented that myriad tactics were deployed ahead of the general elections to besmirch the reputation of the PTI, resulting in the conversion of a majority vote into a minority.

The former prime minister also deplored the lack of constitutional governance within the country, asserting that only the influential wield power and there was no democracy or rule of law in the country.

Khan has been regularly interacting with the media persons who are present at the time of hearing of cases in the Adiala Jail. 

With inputs from the Press Trust of India.