(C) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
This story was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Former Pakistani PM To Be Indicted On Contempt Charge [1]
[]
Date: 2022-09
A top court in Pakistan has announced that former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be indicted later this month on a contempt of court charge, local media reported after Khan expressed regret about disparaging comments he made about police and judges.
The five-member bench, led by the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court, said on September 8 that Khan will be indicted on September 22, Dawn News reported.
Khan is accused of threatening a female judge who had ruled against one of his close aides on treason charges, putting her life in danger.
The contempt of court charge could lead to the disqualification of Khan, who was ousted from office by Pakistan's parliament in April.
Prior to the court's decision, Khan acknowledged in a statement submitted to the Islamabad High Court that he "regrets" disparaging comments about police and judges, but stopped short of an outright apology.
The 69-year-old populist and former cricketer asked the court to accept his "explanation" and "beseeched" its "forgiveness."
"The respondent takes this opportunity to express his deep regrets over his unintentional utterances during the course of his speech," Khan said in a formal reply, according to a copy obtained by AFP.
"Imran Khan's response was not satisfactory," state media quoted the chief justice of the court as saying.
Khan's original reply in the contempt case last week was rejected.
Khan also faces related terrorism charges that risk further dividing the beleaguered South Asian country.
He must appear before an Anti-Terrorism Court on September 9, when his bail expires in a separate case regarding the same comments about the judge.
The latest judicial twist comes with Khan delivering speeches across the country criticizing Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's government and pushing for new elections despite catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 1,355 people and affected 33 million more.
Khan became prime minister in 2018 but was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April as the opposition accused him of economic mismanagement amid soaring inflation and economic woes.
With reporting by AFP
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/pakistan-khan-regrets-comments-court-appearances/32023997.html
Published and (C) by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Content appears here under this condition or license: By permission of RFE/RL.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/rferl/
