LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR  -  Pakistan Mus­lim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President She­hbaz Sharif on Tues­day lashed out at the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial for favouring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) sus­pended the sentence awarded to him in the Toshakhana case. 

In his message on X, formerly Twitter, the former premier also wrote that the IHC had been influenced by the apex court's leniency toward the PTI chief. "The 'favourite's' sen­tence has been sus­pended, not terminated.

"Chief Justice's mes­sage of 'Good to see you and 'Wishing you good luck' reached Islam­abad High Court. If ev­eryone knows what the decision will be before the decision comes, it should be a moment of concern for the jus­tice system," the former premier wrote. 

He further stated that when a “clear message” was received from the higher judiciary, the subordinate court would follow suit. “A monitoring judge was appointed to ensure Nawaz Sharif’s punishment, [and now] the chief jus­tice himself [has become] a monitoring judge to save the ‘favourite’,” he wrote, slamming the courts for giving Khan re­lief. Taking issue with the overturning of the sentence, Shehbaz’s tweet fur­ther read: “This role of the justice sys­tem will be written as the dark chapter of history. Scales tilted to one side and a justice system that undermines justice is not acceptable. He wrote that the law was powerless before those who “sold the watches”. 

“If thieves and state terrorists are fa­cilitated, where will the common man get justice in the country?” The former premier also lamented that Khan and his party were given undue leniency by the courts. “Be it May 9, be it an at­tack on the judicial complex, be it rain­ing petrol bombs on the police, every­thing is forgiven,” he concluded. Zahid Khan, a senior leader of Awami National Party (ANP) which was part of the Paki­stan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government, termed the IHC verdict as “murder of justice”. 

Slamming the IHC verdict, suspending the sentence of Imran Khan’s verdict, Zahid said, “Why humanity does not wake up in the heart in other cases?” He added that Khan had stolen and there was concrete proof of the “theft”, yet he was being given special treatment. 

He further slammed the courts for making “wrong decisions”. 

“The nation is crying on the streets to­day because of the wrong decisions of the courts. If there is no writ of the state, how can people live in it?” he asked. The ANP leader termed the IHC decision as “an unprecedented wrong decision” and said if the courts had not made deci­sions by “looking at social media,” there may have been justice in the country.

“Criticising the [court’s] decision is our right. We don’t abuse [the court],” he said. Reacting to the development in the Toshkhana case, PDM spokesper­son Hafiz Hamdullah speculated if the suspension of Khan’s conviction was a result of PTI chief’s wife Bushra Bi­bi’s meetings with a dignitary from a “friendly Muslim country “.

“Why is Bushra Bibi seeking an NRO [a reference to relief in cases] from a friendly Islamic country? Why did she meet an important personality of an Is­lamic country in a five-star hotel in Is­lamabad?” he questioned. Hamdullah said Bushra Bibi told the “personality” that Khan is ready to leave the country.

“Today, I will tell the whole nation that PTI chairman is now begging to go out [of the country],” the PDM spokesperson said. Deputy Secretary General of Pa­kistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Atta Tarar said on Tuesday that the Is­lamabad High Court (IHC) had suspend­ed three-year sentence of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, without abolishing it.

During his interaction with the media persons, he clarified that the suspen­sion of Imran Khan’s disqualification was a temporary measure, as his legal team had solely lodged an appeal for the suspension of the sentence.