• Islamabad District Bar Association to hold protests in solidarity with Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.
• Association says PTI chief’s apology in Judge Chaudhry’s court was “drama”.
• Says Imran Khan wants to put pressure on the judiciary to take relief for himself.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad District Bar Association on Sunday slammed PTI chairman Imran Khan for his attitude towards Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and announced protests in solidarity with the judge.

The association stated that the PTI chief staged a “drama” in the guise of the apology he made in Judge Chaudhry’s court, adding that his action was an attempt to harass the judge. The body also presented a resolution against the former prime minister and condemned his actions.

“Imran Khan went to the female judge’s court on the day she was on leave. The PTI chief told the stenographer and reader to convey his message to the judge, and in this way, he committed another contempt of court,” said the association.

The body stated that the PTI chief threatened the female judge during his public address, adding that he is yet to submit an apology before the Islamabad High Court.

“Like all constitutional institutions, Imran Khan wants the judiciary to run at his whim. He wants to put pressure on the judiciary to take relief for himself,” said the association. The resolution also demanded action be taken against Khan under the law for the rule of the Constitution in the country.

Imran Khan appears before female judge’s court

On Friday, the PTI chairman appeared before Judge Zeba Chaudhry’s court, the female judge he had allegedly threatened at a public rally, to tender an apology.

Upon Khan’s arrival at the court, the police closed the door of Zeba Chaudhry’s courtroom.

“I have come to apologise to judicial magistrate Zeba Chaudhry,” Imran Khan told the court reader.

He asked the reader to stay witness for his appearance in Chaudhry’s court to offer an apology, as the judge herself was on leave.

“You have to tell Madam Zeba Chaudhry that Imran Khan had visited and wanted to apologise if any of his words hurt her sentiments,” he told the reader.

The PTI chair then left the court after the brief conversation.

Khan was booked in a case for threatening judicial magistrate Zeba Chaudhry and police officers at a rally in F-9 Park on August 20, to “terrorise” police officials and the judiciary.

The main aim was to prevent the police officers and judiciary from carrying out their legal obligations, stated the FIR. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Magistrate Ali Javed at Islamabad’s Margalla Police Station under Section 7 of ATA.

However, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) quashed the terror charges and directed to transfer of the case to a relevant court under the remaining sections in the FIR on September 19.

“Prima facie, not a single section included in the case is applicable [to Imran Khan’s speech],” the court had observed.

On September 22, during a hearing of a contempt case in IHC, Khan also requested the court to allow him to apologise to judge Zeba Chaudhry in person.