No budging, says Imran

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday reiterated his demand for detailed investigation and voters’ verification of May 11 polls results in four constituencies earmarked by the party, saying why should he apologise for contempt when he had not even committed it.

Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court building after the hearing in contempt of court case against him, Khan said he stood by each and every word he had said.

He said he had only come to recently that “shameful” was a contemptuous word, when he had only meant that the returning officers did not fulfill their responsibility to conduct fair elections and that was akin to being ashamed.

The PTI chief said he had not done anything wrong and that his criticism was confined to the conduct of returning officers, adding that he had said nothing that called for punishment.

Khan said the PTI sacrificed the most for the restoration of sacked judges and that he could never imagine using disrespectful words against the higher judiciary.

He said the independent judiciary had done some incredible work and he always respected the judiciary and rule of law.

Earlier during the hearing on Friday, the SC rejected Imran Khan’s rejoinder submitted in the contempt of court case and ordered yet again to submit a detailed statement by August 28.

The court had given Imran Khan time until 11:30am on Friday to submit his second and revised reply, but rejected the second reply again, calling it “disappointing”.

The court had termed his earlier response as “insufficient”.

According to his revised response submitted in the court today, Khan’s July 26 statement was not against the chief justice or the Supreme Court but he meant to criticise the role of the returning officers and district returning officers during 2013 elections.

The court did not approve his second response as well and instructed his counsel Hamid Khan to submit a third and more heartfelt written response by August. 28. The court, then, adjourned the hearing until that date.