ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister and former PTI chairman Imran Khan was not broadcasted live on the Supreme Court’s YouTube channel as the apex court resumed the hearing of intra-court appeals against its decision declaring the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments null and void.
Imran Khan, appearing before the apex court via video link as a petitioner in the case, did not have his proceedings broadcasted on the YouTube channel, according to sources from the 24News TV channel. Instructions had been given to court staff to not livestream the proceedings.
The hearing was conducted by a five-member larger bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Other judges on the bench included Justice Ameenuddin Khan, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Jamal Mandokhel, and Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi.
However, anticipation surrounding Imran Khan’s appearance led to a significant surge in subscribers of the SC’s YouTube channel, increasing from 11,000 to 50,000 within a short span of time.
This development followed the Supreme Court’s directive on Tuesday ordering the federal and Punjab governments to facilitate Imran Khan’s appearance via video link from Adiala Jail.
Imran Khan, who is facing multiple cases, made his first public appearance since his arrest in August the previous year. This appearance was in relation to the Toshakhana case, despite reservations expressed by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar about the SC’s directive.
The case pertains to amendments made to the country’s accountability laws in 2022 by the then-Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government. Imran Khan had challenged these amendments, alleging they were made to benefit influential accused persons and legitimize corruption.
The Supreme Court, after 53 hearings, had announced a 2-1 verdict, ordering the restoration of corruption cases against public office-holders that were withdrawn due to the amendments. The court had declared Imran Khan’s plea to be maintainable.
Subsequently, a five-judge SC bench took up intra-court appeals against this judgment, halting accountability courts from issuing final verdicts in graft cases. During subsequent hearings, CJP Isa hinted at the possibility of restarting proceedings if a solid case was presented, as the earlier proceedings did not meet the requirements of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023.