Imran doesn?t submit reply, changes lawyer
 

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday expressed dismay over **n-filing of reply by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to a contempt case, filed against him by former PTI leader Akbar S Babar and said it would pass its order in the case in the next hearing on Monday.

As the case came up for hearing again and instead of filing the long-awaited and delayed response on one pretext or the other, the PTI lawyer pleaded for yet a**ther adjournment on the ground that Imran had appointed Babar Awan as his fifth lawyer who would **w draft and file a fresh response.

To this, the ECP bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, inquired about the new lawyer’s legal brief. In response, the PTI lawyer contended that it would be submitted in due course.

Babar Awan, who recently resigned from the PPP and joined the PTI, will be thus handling this first high profile case on the behalf of Imran. Previously, he has represented ex-premier Benazir Bhutto and former-president Asif Ali Zardari in several corruption cases filed against them.

The ECP panel observed that Babar Awan was the latest in a long list of lawyers, from Anwar Mansoor Khan to Fawad Chaudhry and several more, who have represented Imran in this case while a response was still awaited.

The CEC expressed dismay over PTI lawyer’s yet a**ther adjournment request and showed his intent to pass an order in the case on Wednesday. However, on the repeated pleas of the PTI lawyer to postpone hearing until the next week, the case was adjourned for passing an order until Monday next.

Akbar S Babar had filed a contempt case against Imran after he had ‘accused the ECP of being biased in the PTI foreign funding case’.Later, talking to the media outside the Election Commission, the petitioner, Akbar S. Babar, stated that the repeated delays sought by Imran are tantamount to making a mockery of justice.

He said it was time that constitutional bodies should exercise their powers and authority vested in them under the law by passing judgements and enforcing orders. “Hiding from law is the most unfortunate for a person, who champions the cause of justice in public but refuses to be held accountable,” he retorted.

Babar emphasised there should be ** exceptions when it comes to accountability of the powerful. “If the prime minister can be held accountable for alleged misuse of taxpayers’ money, then why can’t Imran be held accountable for alleged corruption and misappropriation of public donations worth billions,” he argued.



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