Imran’s disqualification case: Win-win situation in Courtroom No-1

ISLAMABAD: The day started with ‘Supreme Court dismissing NAB’s plea to re-open Hudaibiya case against the Sharifs’ and ended up with disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s major financier Jahangir Khan Tareen.

“Mr Tareen stands disqualified,” these four powerful words brought smile on faces of many workers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday at 3:37pm in the Courtroom No-I.

This moment also brought tears in the eyes of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) fans who walked onto the slightly brown carpet just five minutes ago when Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar read: “There is no merit in this petition [against Imran Khan] which is accordingly dismissed.”

The tears of PTI’s supporters reminded me the day (July 28, 2017-Panama case order) when the same completely packed hall echoed with joy and tears altogether. That time “crying” was only in the club of supporters of the Sharifs and the word “disqualification [of PM Sharif]” had brought “joy” for the PTI fans in the Courtroom No-I.

On Friday at 3:22pm the worthy judges assembled soon after members of the family of Chief Justice of Pakistan took their seats reserved for the visitors. In their around 21-minute historic "order-reading-exercise" Justice Faisal Arab, who wrote an additional 13-page note and Justice Umar Ata Bandial captured serious attention of around 400 politicians, journalists, legislators, ex-diplomats, lawyers, civil servants and security personnel in the hall.

Around over 150 supporters of PTI and PML-N started gathering outside the courtroom at around 1:00pm and later sneaked into the hall at 1:30pm. It was Naeem Bokhari with black glasses, who in a lighter note said, “If Imran Khan stands disqualified today, the whole nation would be mourning. Please, then take me to the hospital too.” As Hanif Abbasi and State Minister for Privatisation Daniyal Aziz continued chit-chat with PTI’s counsels like Fawad Chaudhry, hundreds of visitors were anxiously waiting for the worthy judges who were 82 minutes late as decision was to be announced at 2:00pm.

After taking his seat, the chief justice apologized for getting late reasoning that they went through the whole detailed order after they found a clerical typo in the around 223-page judgment. It was the moment when one could witness seriousness on faces of judges in the hall as well as the bit exhausted 69-year-old Naeem Bokhari and around 68-year-old Akram Sheikh. Whispering Talal Chaudhry and Daniyal Aziz and pensive looking fans of PTI and inquisitive journalists came across ‘a suspense over emotions.’

Witnesses were recalling winds of July when the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted by the apex court, suspecting that cold December could bring dangerous waves for PTI’s top leadership. About Imran Khan, majority of the lawyers and journalists were of the view that he would get a clean chit from the court and finally it happened. “Mr Khan proved a lucky man —he got a certificate of honesty today — but his financier [Jahangir Tareen] was declared as a dishonest man,” a senior lawyer whispered to this correspondent.

As head of the bench Chief Justice Saqib Nisar continued reading the conclusion of this historic order as many PTI fans became emotional with joy to celebrate victory, their louder voices forced the court's administrators to ask them to observe silence. “Salam to worthy SC — judges are our heroes,” whispered a lawyer in ears of an elderly PTI leader who was sitting a few feet away from the rostrum in the courtroom.

Then the slightly cold hall witnessed a different atmosphere when the Chief Justice read page 78-79 of the judgment where the apex court ordered the top poll body to deseat Mr Tareen. It was Sikandar Mohmand, counsel for Tareen and PTI senior leader Ishaq Khakwani who looked dejected. But this correspondent could witness smiles on faces of the PML-N leaders who chanted “victory”.

In the aftermath, it was the considered view of some journalists and lawyers that ‘sword of disqualification would keep hanging on many other members of Parliament, after Jahangir Tareen’s disqualification case and damning PanamaLeaks’ order which has set a new precedence in Pakistan’s judicial history.

After witnessing the proceedings, many visitors were of the view that it was a win-win situation for both PML-N and PTI today. According to them as the PML-N gained today, Imran Khan emerged as honest leader after the apex court ruled this case in his favour. It was the time when supporters of both parties chanted slogans against each other’s top leadership and distributed sweets. Before catching up their luxury vehicles, lawyers of both the parties commented that after Friday’s orders there seems Pakistan would find political stability in the coming days.