During indictment hearing: Imran threatens to slap treason charges on ECP members if he returns to power

ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan has threatened to initiate treason charges against the leadership of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) if he returns to power. He vowed to do this when contempt charges were being framed against him during an in-camera proceeding held in Adiala Jail.

The ECP indicted the former prime minister late Wednesday in a case related to the contempt of the election watchdog as Khan and other leaders of his party hurled baseless allegations more than once. Fawad Chaudhry who has now left PTI is also co-accused and the charges were also framed against him.

An official who attended the proceeding said Khan was either unaware in the beginning that the ECP court was being held to indict him or he feigned ignorance as he remained quiet at the outset. However, later on, he started daring the members of the ECP who were conducting the court. Nisar Ahmed Durrani, the member from Sindh, presided over the judicial proceedings.

Khan, according to the source, questioned the authority of the members. “Who are you to frame the charges against me,” he said and started hurling threats. “I will invoke article 6 against you,” he said and sat down only to rise again to remind them why they (ECP) didn’t hold elections within 90 days. The members didn’t respond and instead opted to remain silent. One of them, however, said on a lighter note that the PTI chairman was providing material for yet another contempt case.

According to the source, Imran Khan cold-shouldered Fawad Chaudhry. Chaudhry is presently in the custody of the NAB Rawalpindi and is taken to Adiala Jail when his presence is required there in the cases he is co-accused with Khan. Fawad, in the past, had also faced a contempt case initiated by ECP against him and Azam Swati, but later both apologised to the ECP. Their apologies were accepted by the ECP in December 2021.

The present contempt case was initiated after a diatribe by PTI leadership against the ECP and its leadership in October 2022. When the process started, the accused PTI leaders started buying time through securing stays from high courts. The ECP took this matter to the Supreme Court of Pakistan which vacated the stays in January last year and allowed the ECP to proceed against it. The notices were issued and time was sought for replying. In June, the ECP decided to frame charges against them.

Meanwhile, a source privy to the whole scene, confirmed to The News that the former PTI chairman was in sheer anger and kept uttering objectionable remarks, particularly against two members of the Election Commission during the hearing of the case by the four-member bench, headed by Member Sindh, Nisar Ahmad Durrani.

“I know you. I recognise you. You are morally corrupt and I have proofs against you,” he was quoted as loudly telling a member while pointing a finger at him. The source claimed Imran appeared so desperate and unhappy, and it sounded that as if he wanted the indictment be deferred again.

He kept on speaking loudly and at one stage targeted all the four members of the commission, which had been hearing the case of contempt of the Election Commission and chief election commissioner. He reportedly slammed the Election Commission and its members the way they were conducting themselves, instead of doing their constitutional duty and this warranted proceedings against them under Article 6 of the Constitution.

The source claimed the founder chairman of the party threatened to use the high treason case after coming to power against the commission members.

The source said that the ECP members, who appeared in sheer disbelief, remained calm and composed, and did not react to what the former PTI chairman said against them. “There were a reasonable number of eye-witnesses inside the place, where he was being indicted as well as Fawad Chaudhry,” the source claimed.

According to the charge-sheet, read out on the occasion, PTI founder and ex-federal minister Fawad resorted to a planned defamatory campaign in 2022 against the Election Commission and they used biased and derogatory language against the electoral body and its head.

And, that the accused used unparliamentary language against the Election Commission during a public meeting in Bhakkar on July 12, 2022, then made fabricated allegations against the Election Commission and the Chief Election Commissioner in public meetings on July 18 and July 27. They accused scandalised the Election Commission on August 4 and August 10, 2022.

Both of them ridiculed the constitutional body in public meetings, the accused used unparliamentary and inappropriate language against the Chief Election Commissioner as well. The indictment says that according to the required evidence, videos and documents, the trial should be started against the accused under the Elections Act, 2017.