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Imran Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistan, has filed a plea with the Lahore High Court (LHC) asking for the dismissal of 121 cases brought against him, according to Dawn.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi will preside over a two-person bench that will hear the case.
Khan and the PTI were listed as petitioners in the statement, a duplicate of which can be found at Dawn. According to the plea, the government was “misusing” the legal system to bar the PTI leader from running in the upcoming polls.
The PTI chief has asserted that he is the subject of more than 100 cases. On March 24, while seeking protective bail in five charges brought against him in Islamabad, he notified the LHC of the same.
Khan was to be “eliminated from the political arena by any means necessary,” and the “patently mala fide” purpose of the “false charges” was to “disqualify, arrest, or convict” him, according to the plea.
Moreover, it noted that although Imran’s right to a fair trial and his capacity to defend himself were protected by the Constitution, these rights were limited when Imran was “overwhelmed” with cases and had his requests for hearing consolidation turned down, according to a story in Dawn.
The petition further alleged that Imran Khan, the PTI, and the party’s followers were being prevented from exercising their right to run for office and that their right to free expression was being curtailed.
The petitioners were allegedly “targeted and hounded with the entire might of the state,” in contrast to their political rivals, who were allegedly permitted to hold public protests and garner media attention.
It urged the court to order the respondents to provide a comprehensive report outlining the numerous FIRs and criminal cases filed against the petitioners as well as to order that no coercive measures be taken against them until a decision was made on the petition.
The court was also urged to proclaim that the widespread detention and “disappearance” of political workers violated their constitutionally guaranteed rights and to order their immediate release.
