Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has been summoned by the Lahore High Court (LHC), which did so after seeing that his affidavit and power of attorney had different signatures.
Last week, during the hearing of Khan’s precautionary bail plea—he was refusing to appear in court due to security concerns—the LHC had made note of the inconsistency in the documents.
After having his bail in a case involving suspected vandalism during nationwide protests brought on by his disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the Toshakhana case terminated by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad, the former premier filed a court petition.
The former prime minister’s attorney, Azhar Siddique, told the media that they had not been given permission to bring his vehicle to the courthouse.
Senator Shibli Faraz, the PTI leader, reportedly asked the LHC administration for permission, according to the lawyer. Once his request was denied, he stated that the legal team would speak with the PTI director.
On February 16, Advocate Siddique submitted his affidavit and power of attorney on behalf of Khan, who was ordered to personally appear before the court.
Khan’s absence from court led to numerous adjournments and resumptions, and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh had threatened to issue a contempt notice to the former premier or his attorney due to the different signatures. Despite the petitioner’s pleas, he had also forbidden the petition’s withdrawal until this matter was resolved.
“You are currently examining it. Justice Sheikh had said, “Someone tried to perpetrate fraud, I would issue contempt of court notice to you or Imran Khan,” before postponing the case to today.
