ISLAMABAD: Former chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Wednesday filed an application seeking recusal of Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Aamer Farooq from hearing of his cases.
The former PTI chief moved the application through his counsel Salman Akram Raja and Sardar Latif Khosa and prayed that Justice Aamer Farooq may kindly recuse himself from the matters involving the applicant.
He stated that the applicant hereby seeks to bring on record the deep loss of faith in the ability of Justice Aamer Farooq to do justice in accordance with the law in cases involving him. “This loss of faith is the consequence of a long line of events and circumstances spanning at least the entire period during which Justice Aamer Farooq has served as the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court. Some of the most painful of these events and circumstances are listed,” added Imran.
He continued that ever since the assumption of the office of the Chief Justice of the IHC Justice Aamer has constituted himself as a one-man high court regarding the matters involving the applicant. He also said, “The presence of Justice Aamer Farooq in all single and division benches hearing matters (other than those that involved intra-court appeals against orders and judgments of Justice Aamer Farooq) involving the applicant is a matter of record. So far Justice Aamir Farooq has featured in 120 matters involving the applicant.
Imran stated that this amounted to a most serious violation of the right of the accused to due process and for justice to be seen to be done. He mentioned that in intra-court appeal, a division bench of the IHC was pleased to set aside the judgment of Justice Aamer Farooq and to affirm the importance of an open trial.
He maintained, that the details of the conduct during the course of dozens of other petitions and applications that have also added to the loss of faith in Justice Aamer Farooq needed not be repeated here. The foregoing instances are enough to explain the basis of the applicant’s request that his cases not be heard by Justice Aamer.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023