ISLAMABAD, Feb 09 (APP):The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday heard a petition related to the Toshakhana criminal case against the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in which the trial court proceedings were challenged as unlawful.
The Court issued notices to the parties for Tuesday, February 10, and also sought a report regarding the PTI founder’s current condition in jail.
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan heard the case.
During the hearing, counsel for the PTI founder, Latif Khosa, requested permission to meet his client. The Chief Justice remarked that a decision regarding the meeting would also be taken the next day, adding that no order could be issued without first notifying the other party. The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday.
During the proceedings, the Supreme Court also ordered the formation of a three-member bench in the cipher case, while dismissing as infructuous the petition seeking cancellation of bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Similarly, the petitions seeking cancellation of bail for the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case were also dismissed as infructuous.
The Court further ordered the constitution of a three-member bench to hear petitions seeking cancellation of the PTI founder’s bail in connection with the May 9 Lahore incidents, while hearings in the cipher case and the May 9 bail cancellation petitions were adjourned for two weeks. The hearing of the PTI founder’s defamation case against Shehbaz Sharif was also adjourned for two weeks, with directions to constitute a three-member bench in that matter as well.
The Court rejected the request for an immediate meeting with the PTI founder and issued notices to the government for Tuesday, 10 February, regarding the application filed by counsel Latif Khosa seeking permission to meet his client. The Chief Justice observed that no order regarding the meeting could be issued without notice to the concerned parties.
In his remarks, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi told counsel Latif Khosa that, at this stage, the objection regarding the maintainability of the petition would have to be addressed, particularly in view of the fact that several cases involving the PTI founder are pending before other courts.
He further observed that, prima facie, the Court considers the matter to have become infructuous, and it would need to be determined whether the case is indeed infructuous or can still proceed.