RAWALPINDI: Former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan was produced before an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Monday through a WhatsApp video link in the May 9 GHQ attack case.
Judge Amjad Ali Shah heard two petitions filed by Khan, in which his legal team requested access to CCTV footage of the September 19 proceedings and sought suspension of the trial until the Islamabad High Court ruled on the matter of transferring proceedings to jail.
Defense counsel Faisal Malik argued that they could not participate in the trial without consultation with Khan. The court, however, remarked that during the last hearing, the lawyers were allowed to speak to Khan, but he had boycotted the proceedings.
The judge advised the defense to challenge the video-link arrangement before the high court, reiterating that the trial could not be halted without higher court orders.
Prosecutors countered that the defense was not taking the trial seriously, frequently boycotting hearings and wasting the court’s time. Salman Akram Raja, another lawyer for Khan, argued that a detainee could not simply be presented via a WhatsApp call, stressing that the court must act in accordance with the Constitution, not government directives.
After hearing arguments, the court dismissed Khan’s petitions and allowed him to appear through the WhatsApp link.
During the session, defense lawyers requested to consult Khan, but complained of poor audio and video quality, saying his voice was inaudible and his image unclear. They subsequently staged a walkout, leaving Khan without legal representation in the courtroom.
Meanwhile, the court recorded the testimonies of eight prosecution witnesses, including PEMRA Additional Director Nadir Khan, FIA technical assistants Anis ur Rehman and Muhammad Imran, PID deputy directors Muhammad Tariq and Hasnain Wazir, former assistant commissioner Muhammad Abdullah, Irshad Bhatti, and Interior Ministry section officer Bilal Ahmed.
So far, statements of 41 witnesses have been recorded in the case, with the prosecution submitting their reports to the court. The trial will continue with more witnesses summoned for the next hearing.
