ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s jailed chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has appointed a noted human rights lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson KC, to represent him in the international courts, in cases, related to his “unlawful detention and human rights abuses”.
This was announced by the PTI in a statement on X, saying that their party chairman has appointed eminent human rights Barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC of Doughty Street Chambers to advise and represent him in international courts in relation to “unlawful detention and human rights abuses.”
“Geoffrey Robertson KC is a Founding Head of Doughty Street Chambers. He has had a distinguished career as a trial and appellate counsel, an international judge, and author of leading textbooks. His books include Crimes Against Humanity and The Struggle for Global Justice,” it added.
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However, the posts shared earlier by the PTI official handle on the X, as well as, by senior party leader Zulfi Bokhari were deleted later when the party’s decision to hire the lawyer for fighting the cases against Imran Khan in the international courts was criticised by the rival political parties.
It was followed by a statement of the PTI spokesperson, saying PTI demands rights and justice from the justice system of Pakistan and wants effective measures for the supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law from the justice system of the country.
“There is no truth in the misleading reports being circulated about a foreign law firm, nor is any such initiative supported by the jailed chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan,” the party spokesperson said, adding that the party has neither approached any law firm outside Pakistan nor it has any intention to do so.
However, in a statement on X, PTI leader Zulfi Bokhari said that Geoffrey Robertson KC is a world renowned human rights lawyer and has represented many hundreds of people who have suffered human rights abuses including unlawful detention.
He successfully represented President Lula da Silva of Brazil at the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva for the human rights and abuses he suffered by a biased judiciary in Brazil, he added. “He [Geoffrey] enjoys a distinguished career as a trial and appellate counsel, an international judge, and author of leading books on struggle for human rights and global justice.
IA soon the injustices will be exposed,” Zulfi Bokhari said in the statement.
In a post on X, the Doughty Street Inter-national also confirmed, saying: “Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan @ImranKhan PTI @PTIofficial has appointed the eminent Human Rights Barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC of @Doughty Street Chambers to advise and represent him in international courts in relation to unlawful detention and human rights abuses.”
The decision to hire Geoffrey Robertson KC was strongly criticised by rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying Geoffrey had also represented the controversial figure in Islam, Salman Rushdie.
Imran Khan’s decision to hire an international counsel, who has also previously represented Australian journalist Jullian Assange, comes at a time when he remains behind bars at the Attock District jail since his conviction by a trial court in the Toshakhana case on August 5 for failing to properly declare gifts he received while in office.
The PTI chairman was sentenced to a three-year jail term with a fine of Rs100,000, besides disqualifying him from contesting upcoming elections.
While the Islamabad High Court had overturned the conviction, Imran Khan remains in the prison due to his judicial remand in the cipher case till September 13, as he was booked by the Federal Investigation Agency for allegedly revealing state secrets under the Official Secrets Act.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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