Barrister Gohar Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claimed on Saturday that his family had been subjected to an attack while he was attending the Supreme Court hearing regarding the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) plea challenging the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision in favor of PTI in the bat symbol and intra-party polls case.
Upon receiving the news, the PTI chief promptly left the Supreme Court premises. Speaking to his colleague and party member Barrister Ali Zafar, Gohar Khan revealed that his sons and nephews had been physically assaulted during the incident.
“Just received the news from home. People arrived in four double cabins and took away the computer,” he explained.
Pointing towards Barrister Gohar, the PTI lawyer mentioned that individuals had reached his home and assaulted his family members.
Reacting to the information, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Isa expressed dissatisfaction, stating, “Whatever happened should not have happened.” He summoned the additional attorney general, expressing his displeasure at the news.
The additional attorney general assured that he would investigate the matter and left the courtroom. After a while, the PTI chairman returned to the apex court, and CJP Isa inquired about the situation.
“The situation is very serious,” Gohar Khan responded.
The chief justice directed the additional attorney general to resolve the matter. Barrister Gohar expressed distrust and a desire to inform the court about the incident.
The additional attorney general reported that he had spoken with the home secretary and Inspector General of Islamabad Police (IGP) Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan, who were investigating the matter.
As the PTI chief attempted to speak, CJP Isa instructed him to inform the additional attorney general first. “First, tell the additional attorney general, if not heard by him, then inform the court.”
Commenting on the attack, Barrister Gohar stated that the limit had been crossed, prompting the CJP to clarify that the court is not the police and urged them to inform the court if the issue cannot be resolved.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad police rejected claims of violence, stating that they received information about reaching Barrister Gohar’s house during a search for wanted criminals. The police asserted that it was a routine operation, and no violence or seizure of documents occurred. Further investigations are underway.
ابھی اطلاع ملی ہے کہ بیرسٹر گوہر کے گھر پولیس پہنچی ہے۔
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) January 13, 2024
پولیس ایک اطلاع پر اشتہاریوں کی تلاش میں ایک گھر پہنچی۔ وہاں پہنچنے پر معلوم ہوا کہ مذکورہ گھر بیرسٹر گوہر کا ہے ۔ اور پولیس واپس آگئی۔
نہ ہی کسی پر کسی قسم کا تشدد کیا گیا اور نہ ہی کوئی دستاویزات اٹھائی گئیں ہیں ۔
یہ…