Imran Khan comes under fire for hiring Salman Rushdie’s lawyer. In a key step forward in his legal struggle against “unlawful detention and human rights violations,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has hired Geoffrey Robertson KC, a British barrister, to defend him in foreign courts.
The announcement comes as the erstwhile prime minister, who was removed from office following a vote of no-confidence in April last year, remains detained in the Attock District jail following his conviction in the Toshakhana case on August 5.
The PTI president was convicted for failing to register gifts received during his stint in office, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison and fined Rs100,000, making him ineligible to run in the upcoming elections.
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While the Islamabad High Court overturned the conviction, he was nonetheless imprisoned due to his judicial detention in the cypher case until September 13, when he was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency for exposing state secrets under the Official Secrets Act.
Khan’s political party broke the news about the UK lawyer on Friday, when it tweeted a message on its official X account announcing the engagement of the international legal specialist, who has previously represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and Salman Rushdie.
The party verified Robertson’s appointment on its X account, where it uploaded a screenshot of a post by the Doughty Street Chambers – a pair of barristers’ chambers situated in the United Kingdom.
“PTI Chairman, Former Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI has appointed the eminent Human Rights Barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC of @DoughtyStreet Chambers to advise and represent him in international courts in relation to unlawful detention and human rights abuses,” the post on X read.
Imran Khan comes under fire for hiring Salman Rushdie’s lawyer, check the post:
Meanwhile, the chambers, on its international X account, also shared the same announcement.
In another post on X, the party mentioned Robertson’s career as a barrister.
“Geoffrey Robertson KC is a Founding Head of Doughty Street Chambers. He has had a distinguished career as a trial and appellate counsel, an international judge, and author of leading textbooks,” the post stated.
Tarar reacts
During a press conference in Lahore today, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Attaullah Tarar remarked of Robertson’s employment, “Chairman PTI’s announcement to go to the International Court is to go against the state and the country.”
Tarar claimed Khan worked against national institutions and demonstrated anti-nationalism on May 9 during riots in which his nephew, sisters, and entire family participated.
“A political party attacked the country,” he said, adding that one person was misleading the entire youth.
