Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and PTI’s vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday expressed no-confidence over state defense counsels appointed by the special court hearing the cipher case against them.
On Friday at Adiala jail, the special court judge, Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, postponed making a decision regarding the prosecution’s request to end the defense’s ability to cross-examine witnesses. Due to the absence of their attorneys, the court assigned state attorneys to represent both accused parties when it announced its reserved verdict.
The court order says that when the hearing of the case started on Friday, no senior counsel appeared on behalf of the accused; even after the break, no senior counsel of the accused appeared. In view of the facts and circumstances, the lawyers of the accused were given several opportunities and the court was left with no option but to appoint a state defense counsel for the accused.
It states that after an email was sent to the advocate general requesting a list of attorneys, the advocate general’s office in Islamabad replied with a letter with the names of attorneys who met the requirements. The PTI founder’s state defense council is now led by Malik Abdul Rehman advocate, while Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s state defense council is led by Hazrat Yunus advocate.
Jail authorities produced Imran Khan and Qureshi before the court. The lead counsel of both the accused did not appear before the court; however, their associates, Usman Gul and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry appeared before the court.
Following the directions of the court both the state defense counsels appointed by the court appeared before it. At the start of the hearing, the PTI founder and judge exchange harsh words. Both Khan and Qureshi expressed no confidence in the defense counsels provided by the state. During the hearing, Qureshi snatched the case file from the state defense counsel and threw it on the wall. The lawyers, over whom we have no confidence, how they can represent us, both Khan and Qureshi told the court. We neither know them nor seen them; how they will defend us, they further said.
