Imran Khan’s behaviour to decide outcome in contempt case: Pak-based legal experts

Islamabad [Pakistan], September 1 (ANI): Though former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s contempt of court case has been deferred on Wednesday till September 8, legal experts believe that what happens next will depend on the attitude of the PTI chief, media reports said.
This comes as the Islamabad High Court had taken up the contempt case against Khan over his intimidating remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry at a public rally in Islamabad’s F-9 Park on August 20.
The court on Wednesday observed that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan’s reply in the contempt proceedings was ‘unsatisfactory’ and said that it was not a reply of a leader of his stature. The court, however, provided another opportunity to Imran Khan to furnish an appropriate and well-thought-out response.
Meanwhile, almost immediately after the IHC had given Imran Khan seven days to submit another reply, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “In my view apology or no apology doesn’t make any difference”, and that if the court really wanted to improve the system it should launch an inquiry into the custodial torture of Shahbaz Gill, Jamil Farouqi and Haleem Adil Sheikh.
While speaking with Pakistani media portal The News International, Advocate of the Pakistani Supreme Court Salman Akram Raja said, “There are no rules cast in stone about the circumstances in which an alleged contemner might be pardoned. Every case has its own context. There is no rule that a contemner who has not sought pardon on the first date is not to be pardoned on account of a later apology. It is the sincerity of the apology and the grievousness of the contempt that matters.”
Retired Justice Rasheed A Rizvi and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association while speaking to Geo Wednesday night said, “The court’s attitude was very concessional because [Imran’s] response was so strange.”
“When you plead a defence, there is no opportunity to tender an unconditional apology. Today all he [Imran] had to do was give a one-page unconditional apology. But when he submitted his defence, he did not use such an opportunity. I feel the court has given him an opportunity though.”
According to Salman Raja, “While it is true to some extent that in the past apologies have not been accepted, it’s not like our history doesn’t have examples of apologies being accepted. There is a custom that one should offer an apology in the first instance but it’s not like apologies haven’t been tendered after the first hearing”.
Raja continued, “Just a written apology is not enough; Imran’s attitude should reflect that he is indeed sorry for what he did. It may be good if he apologized to the judge he had spoken about. And then went to court and expressed remorse for his remarks. If this happens, then the court can accept his apology. There is no principle that if the person hasn’t apologised the first day, he/she can’t apologize the next day”. (ANI)