Imran Khan Seeks Recusal Of IHC CJ From Benches Hearing Cases Against Him

The former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has recently submitted an application requesting the recusal of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court from all benches overseeing cases against him.

In the application filed at the IHC, the ex-chairman of the PTI expressed a lack of confidence in Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.

Imran Khan asserted that Justice Aamer Farooq, in his role as IHC CJ, created the perception of a “one-man high court” by involving himself in every single and division bench handling cases related to Khan, including his intra-court appeals.

CJ Aamer Farooq presided over 120 applications of the former PTI chairman, claiming that the Toshakhana trial against Imran Khan was conducted unlawfully due to the influence of the IHC chief justice.

The report mentioned that CJ Aamer Farooq has also handled a case concerning the number of dependents listed by Imran Khan in his election nomination papers.

Following objections raised by the applicant about the single bench hearing the matter, a 3-member bench was formed, which, by majority decision, dismissed the case against the former prime minister.

The application contended that CJ Aamer Farooq not only removed the majority decision from the court’s website but also issued a press release.

It emphasized that the applicant had lost trust in the IHC CJ and didn’t anticipate fair treatment; hence, he requested the chief justice to recuse himself from all cases involving Imran Khan.

In a recent development, an accountability court in Islamabad, on December 13, rejected Imran Khan’s pre-arrest bail plea in the Toshakhana case.

Judge Muhammad Bashir of the accountability court announced the reserved verdict on Imran Khan’s bail petition, with the National Accountability Bureau’s Deputy Prosecutor General, Muzaffar Abbasi, confirming the rejection and stating that arrest orders would be implemented.

The anti-corruption watchdog planned to seek the accused’s remand on the following day.

Furthermore, on the same day, Imran Khan and the Vice Chairman of his party, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, faced indictment in the cypher case.