Imran Khan appears before the court of Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry to apologise in person
ISLAMABAD, Sep 30 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan appeared on Friday before the court of Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, the female judge he had allegedly threatened at a public rally, to apologise.
Imran Khan was booked in a case for threatening judicial magistrate Zeba Chaudhry and police officers at a rally in F-9 Park on August 20, to “terrorise” police officials and the judiciary.
The main aim was to prevent the police officers and judiciary from carrying out their legal obligations, stated the FIR. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Magistrate Ali Javed at Islamabad’s Margalla Police Station under Section 7 of ATA.
However, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) quashed the terror charges and directed to transfer the case to a relevant court under the remaining sections in the FIR on September 19.
“Prima facie, not a single section included in the case is applicable [to Imran Khan’s speech],” the court had observed.
On September 22, during a hearing of a contempt case in IHC, Imran Khan also requested the court to allow him to apologise to judge Zeba Chaudhry in person.
Upon Imran Khan’s arrival at the court on Friday, the police closed the door of Zeba Chaudhry’s courtroom. “I have come to apologise to judicial magistrate Madam Zeba Chaudhry,” Imran Khan told the court reader.
He asked the reader to stay witness for his appearance in Chaudhry’s court to offer an apology, as the judge herself was on leave.
“You have to tell Madam Zeba Chaudhry that Imran Khan had visited and wanted to apologise if any of his words hurt her sentiments,” he told the reader before leaving. The PTI chair then left the court after the brief conversation.
Earlier, the former prime minister Imran Khan went to the F-8 kachehri court for the hearing of a separate case regarding the violation of Section 144 in the court of an additional district and sessions judge Zafar Iqbal.
The court accepted the plea for an extension in the interim bail of Imran Khan against the surety of Rs5000.
Imran Khan, along with several PTI leaders, including Asad Umar, Murad Saeed, Fawad Chaudhary and Faisal Javed, were booked in a case over violation of Section 144 in the federal capital.
PTI leaders and their almost 1,000 supporters blocked the road at Imran Khan’s behest, says the FIR.