By Asif Naveed
RAWALPINDI; Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan was produced before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday through a WhatsApp video link in connection with the May 9 GHQ attack case.
During the hearing, the court arranged a brief conversation between Khan and his legal team. However, defence lawyers raised strong objections, citing distorted audio and unclear visuals of their client on the call. In protest, they announced a boycott of the proceedings.
The court, after hearing arguments from both sides, dismissed two petitions filed by the PTI founder. Defence lawyers Faisal Malik and Salman Akram Raja appeared for Khan, while special prosecutors Zaheer Shah and Ikram Amin represented the state.
Lawyer Faisal Malik argued that the legal team could not proceed without proper consultation with their client. The court responded that Khan had been facilitated in the previous hearing but chose to boycott proceedings himself. The judge added that the defence may challenge the use of WhatsApp communication before the High Court if they wished.
Malik maintained that the matter had already been challenged at the High Court, arguing that a WhatsApp call could not be treated as a proper video link. He requested more time to contest the earlier court order.
The court, however, ruled that the trial would continue without interruption. Prosecutor Ikram Amin accused the defence of deliberately delaying proceedings, saying their walkouts and repeated requests reflected non-seriousness.
During Tuesday’s session, statements of eight prosecution witnesses were recorded. The court also summoned additional prosecution witnesses for the next hearing.
The case hearing has now been adjourned until September 27.
