Please avoid political speech, CJP tells Khosa in PTI level-playing field case

The Supreme Court issued notices to Punjab advocate general, inspector general and chief secretary on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) contempt petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan regarding the alleged lack of a level-playing field in the upcoming general elections.

The PTI's petition filed for contempt of court targets several high-profile figures, including Interior Secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani, ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan, and chief secretaries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan.

Additionally, respondents named in the petition include IG Punjab Dr Usman Anwar, IG Balochistan Abdul Khalique Sheikh, IG KP Akhtar Hayat, and IG Sindh Riffat Mukhtar.

At today’s hearing, PTI’s lawyer Latif Khosa argued that the party was not being provided a level-playing field in Punjab. “No institution can violate its constitutional duties by remaining a silent bystander,” he stated.

At this, Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa asked Khosa to focus on his case. He asked whether the PTI filed a complaint regarding the violations with the ECP - the concerned institution.

"Avoid making a political speech, this is a constitutional court," CJP asked the PTI lawyer Khosa.

CJP Isa maintained that nothing came of the allegations made by the PTI in the 2013 elections as well. “You wasted the court's time even then. This court was the same forum where the allegation of '35 punctures' was thrown around,” he remarked.