The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has dismissed a long-standing petition seeking the disqualification of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on the grounds of allegedly concealing his purported daughter, Tyrian White. The decision, rendered by a three-member bench comprising Justices Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Arbab Mohammad Tahir, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz, marks the end of a legal saga that has persisted for nearly a year.
The IHC’s ruling cited a previous dismissal by a three-judge bench, emphasising that the matter had already been resolved. This previous decision, from May 10, 2023, involved two judges, Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Arbab Mohammad Tahir, who supported the petition’s dismissal, while IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had deemed the petition maintainable.
Despite the majority decision being briefly uploaded on the IHC website before being taken down and the bench subsequently dissolved, Tuesday’s ruling reaffirmed the original dismissal.
During the brief hearing, Justice Jahangiri reviewed the sealed opinions of the judges from the prior year and concluded that the case had been previously adjudicated. This move was seen as a clarification and final closure of the case.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by Imran Khan, welcomed the court’s decision. A PTI spokesperson stated that the two judges had already dismissed the case, accusing the IHC Chief Justice of prolonging the matter on technical grounds.
Senior legal experts have raised questions about the procedural aspects of the case. Ahsanuddin Sheikh, a prominent lawyer, questioned the necessity of forming a new bench if the case had been previously settled. He argued that the opinions of the two judges from the earlier bench should not bind a newly constituted panel of three judges. Sheikh also indicated that the petitioner might seek an appeal before the Supreme Court.
The petition has been a source of controversy, intersecting with broader issues within the judiciary. Six IHC judges, who had raised concerns about alleged interference by intelligence agencies in a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council, referenced this case in their complaints, adding another layer of complexity to the judicial proceedings.