Pakistan’s Supreme Court sets December 10 hearing on petition filed by PTI founder Imran Khan

Pakistan: PTI founder Imran Khan has petitioned the Supreme Court of Pakistan to establish a judicial panel to look into the events of May 9, 2023, and the court has set a hearing on December 10.

According to a Supreme Court cause list released on Friday, the matter would be heard by a seven-member constitutional bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, Dawn said.

Imran Khan’s request for judicial commissions to look into two important incidents—the riots that broke out after his detention on May 9 and the PTI’s “final call” demonstration on November 26—is the basis for the appeal.

The former prime minister announced a five-member negotiating committee on his X account on Thursday. The committee’s two main objectives are to “release under-trial political prisoners… and establish a judicial commission for a transparent investigation of the events of 9th May and 26th November.”

According to Dawn, Omar Ayub Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja, and Asad Qaiser are members of the negotiating team that was established to interact with the government.
On Friday, Imran underlined his requests for X: “We have two demands: a commission should be formed under the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court to conduct an independent inquiry into the events of May 9 and November 26, and unjustly imprisoned political prisoners should be released.”

“Civil disobedience, reduction of remittances, and a boycott movement will be initiated” by the PTI, Imran said, if these demands are not fulfilled. Following his detention on May 9, which set off widespread rioting that lasted for more than 24 hours, he has called for a judicial investigation, according to Dawn.

A hearing on a different appeal filed by the PTI founder, which claims that the general elections in February were rigged, is also set for December 11.