Imran’s disqualification case: Win-win situation in Courtroom 1

ISLAMABAD: The day started with the Supreme Court dismissing NAB’s plea to re-open the Hudaibiya case against the Sharifs and ended with the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s major financier Jahangir Khan Tareen.

“Mr Tareen stands disqualified,” these four powerful words brought a smile on the faces of many workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday at 3:37pm in Courtroom I.

This moment also brought tears in the eyes of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) fans who had walked onto the slightly brown carpet just five minutes ago when Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar read: “There is no merit in this petition [against Imran Khan] which is accordingly dismissed.”

The tears of PTI’s supporters reminded me of the day (July 28, 2017-Panama case order) when the same completely packed hall echoed with joy and tears altogether. At that time, “crying” was only in the club of supporters of the Sharifs and the word “disqualification [of PM Sharif]” had brought “joy” for the PTI fans in the same courtroom.

On Friday at 3:22pm, the worthy judges assembled soon after members of the family of Chief Justice of Pakistan took their seats reserved for the visitors. In their around 21-minute historic "order-reading-exercise" Justice Faisal Arab, who wrote an additional 13-page note and Justice Umar Ata Bandial captured the serious attention of around 400 politicians, journalists, legislators, ex-diplomats, lawyers, civil servants and security personnel in the hall.

Around over 150 supporters of PTI and PML-N started gathering outside the courtroom at around 1pm and later sneaked into the hall half an hour later. 

It was Imran's counsel Naeem Bokhari with black glasses, who on a lighter note, said, “If Imran Khan stands disqualified today, the whole nation would be mourning. Please, then take me to the hospital too.” 

As the petitioner Hanif Abbasi and Federal Privatisation Minister Daniyal Aziz continued their chit-chat with PTI’s counsels like Fawad Chaudhry, hundreds of visitors were anxiously waiting for the worthy judges who were 82 minutes late as the decision was to be announced at 2pm.

After taking his seat, the chief justice apologised for getting the delay, explaining that they went through the whole detailed order after they found a clerical typo in the around 223-page judgment. That was the moment when one could witness seriousness on the faces of the judges in the hall as well as the bit exhausted 69-year-old Bokhari and around 68-year-old Akram Sheikh — Abbasi's counsel. 

The whispering Talal Chaudhry and  Aziz and pensive looking fans of PTI and inquisitive journalists came across ‘a suspense over emotions.’

Witnesses were recalling winds of July when the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted by the apex court, suspecting that the cold December could bring dangerous waves for PTI’s top leadership. About Imran, the majority of the lawyers and journalists were of the view that he would get a clean chit from the court and finally it happened. 

“Mr Khan proved a lucky man —he got a certificate of honesty today — but his financier [Jahangir Tareen] was declared as a dishonest man,” a senior lawyer whispered to this correspondent.

As head of the bench, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar continued reading the conclusion of this historic order as many PTI fans became emotional with joy to celebrate a victory, their loud voices forced the court's administrators to ask them to observe silence. “Salam to worthy SC — judges are our heroes,” whispered a lawyer in the ears of an elderly PTI leader who was sitting a few feet away from the rostrum.

Then the slightly cold hall witnessed a different atmosphere when the Chief Justice read page 78-79 of the judgment where the apex court ordered the top poll body to de-seat Tareen. It was Sikandar Mohmand, counsel for Tareen, and PTI senior leader Ishaq Khakwani who looked dejected. But this correspondent could witness smiles on the faces of the PML-N leaders who chanted “victory”.

In the aftermath, it was the considered view of some journalists and lawyers that the ‘sword of disqualification' would keep hanging on many other members of Parliament, after Tareen’s disqualification case and the Panama Leaks’ order which has set a new precedent in Pakistan’s judicial history.

After witnessing the proceedings, many visitors were of the view that it was a win-win situation for both PML-N and PTI. According to them as the PML-N gained today, Imran emerged as honest leader after the apex court ruled this case in his favour. It was the time when supporters of both parties chanted slogans against each other’s top leadership and distributed sweets. Before getting into their luxury vehicles, lawyers of both the parties commented that after Friday’s orders it seems Pakistan would find political stability in the coming days.

Originally published in The News