Peshawar High Court (PHC) accepted the unconditional and written apology from Aimal Wali Khan, the provincial president of the Awami National Party (ANP). The court then dismissed the contempt of court petition that was filed against him.
Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, heading a single bench, issued a six-page order explaining the reasons for dismissing the petition. Aimal Wali Khan appeared before the court and presented an unconditional written apology. Last Tuesday, the PHC had summoned him in response to a contempt plea, which accused him of making derogatory remarks against the judiciary. The court directed him to clarify his position.
The contempt petition was filed by Fazal Mohammad Khan, a former MNA and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader, represented by Barrister Sarwar Muzaffar Shah. The petitioner had urged the court to initiate contempt proceedings against Aimal Wali Khan.
On December 21, Barrister Sarwar Muzaffar Shah, the petitioner’s counsel, stated that Aimal Wali Khan had given interviews to national news channels, making scandalous and defamatory remarks against the PHC chief justice. In response, the PHC instructed Aimal Wali Khan to publicly express regret for his diatribe against the judiciary.
Aimal Wali Khan appeared before the court with his legal representatives, including Barrister Amir Khan Chamkani, Ahmad Farooq Khattak, Babar Khan Yousafzai, and others. Aimal Wali Khan’s lawyers argued that the issue was blown out of proportion due to political rivalry and requested leniency for their client.
The court acknowledged that threatening a judge is an offense under the Anti-Terrorism Act but decided to treat Aimal Wali Khan with leniency due to his young age. Consequently, the PHC dismissed the contempt of court petition against the ANP leader after he submitted an apology.