Imran Khan threatens hunger strike over lack of confidence in Pak SC chief justice

Islamabad: Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday threatened to go on hunger strike if the Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa failed to deliver justice in his cases slapped on him.

The 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supremo made this statement during a media interaction at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, citing ongoing concerns over Chief Justice Isa's involvement in benches handling the party's and his cases.

He was present in the court in connection with the hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case in the Adiala Jail, where he has been lodged.

He objected to the presence of Chief Justice Isa in the panels formed to hear cases related to his PTI party, warning to go on hunger strike if the chief justice failed to deliver justice.

"I am consulting about going on a hunger strike. If I don't get justice, I will go on a hunger strike," he said, clarifying that his lawyers have objected to the inclusion of Chief Justice Isa in every bench about cases of his party.

“How does Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa come to every bench that hears PTI and my cases?” he asked.

Khan also said that former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed had said that Isa cannot hear cases of PTI. He added that PTI lawyers believe that they will not get justice, “so our cases should be heard by someone else”.

Chief Justice Isa clarified during the hearing of a case of PTI that the panels set up to hear different cases are not formed by him but by a committee of three senior-most judges of the court and he is just one of the three members.

There is a history of mistrust between Khan and Chief Justice Isa.

A complaint was made by Khan, when he was serving as the prime minister, to remove Isa as a judge due to alleged corruption.

Consequently, Isa and his wife had to go through an arduous process and finally, the apex court rejected the cases against him.

In the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are accused of receiving land worth billions of rupees as a bribe from a real estate tycoon.