The chief justice’s observation came as a three-judge special bench of the Supreme Court (SC) headed by him and comprising Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s pleas filed against the trial court’s proceedings of the Toshakhana corruption case.
On August 5, a trial court in Islamabad found Khan guilty of “corrupt practices” in a case pertaining to concealing details of state gifts and sentenced him to three years in prison. The verdict also means that he stood disqualified from contesting general elections for five years.