ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Punjab Faisal Shahkar to file a First Information Report (FIR) of the attack on the former prime minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan within 24 hours. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked that in case of non-compliance the court will take a suo motu notice.

The matter was raised at the hearing of a contempt plea filed by the interior ministry against Imran Khan for allegedly flouting a May 25 order of the apex court that defined the limits for the party’s ‘Azadi March’ gathering in Islamabad at the time.

A five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, heard the plea.

Following the November 3 assassination attempt in Wazirabad on Imran Khan, which left him injured during his party's anti-government long march towards Islamabad.

At the outset of the hearing, CJP Bandial condemned the assassination attempt on Imran Khan’s life and asked his lawyer Salman Akram Raja whether an FIR was registered as yet. The PTI chairman's lawyer told the court that a case of the attack on Imran Khan has yet to be registered. “I am not aware about the FIR. An attempt was made to register an FIR but I don’t think it has been registered as yet,” said Salman Akram Raja.

Punjab IG Police Faisal Shahkar who was in the SC Lahore Registry appeared before the apex court through a video link. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, addressing the Punjab Advocate-General Ahmed Owais, said that under the criminal justice system, the police can file an FIR on their own and that 90 hours have passed [since the attack] and an FIR has not been filed. “If the police did not investigate, the evidence may have been destroyed at the crime scene. This way the evidence of the case will be controversial and will be unacceptable in court,” the CJP lamented. The chief justice of Pakistan told the Punjab IG that he would be the respondent in the suo motu notice.

The top judge directed the IG to investigate the matter, collect evidence and conduct forensic analysis. Addressing the IG police, the CJP said: “An attempt was made to assassinate a national leader. You should understand the gravity of the matter. Ninety hours have elapsed, but no case has been registered as yet,” the chief justice expressed his displeasure over the delay. He remarked how investigation could be conducted without registration of the case. In case of no FIR, the evidence could be changed, he observed. The CJP went on to remark that there should be a solid reason for not registering the case. He directed the IG to act according to the law as the court was with him.

At this point, Punjab IGP Shahkar informed that the Punjab government had prohibited the registration of the FIR. “I have heard about your achievements at the international level, register the FIR and inform us about it,” the CJP to told the cop. He also directed the province’s top cop to keep on working, assuring that if someone would intervene the court would look into it.

The top judge of the country also directed the Punjab Police chief to assign an honest officer to investigate the attack on Imran Khan. “We have seen your resignation. The court assures you that no one will intervene in actions taken by you as per the law,” said the CJP.

At this, the IG informed the court that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi had some objections to the registration of the case. “The registration of the case has some political angles to it but the police also have authority,” said Faisal Shahkar.

Justice Bandial directed the Punjab Police chief to keep working as per the law. He added that if there is a delay in the registration of the FIR then they will take up the case as a problem in the criminal justice system. “The chief minister’s objections cannot stop the police from registering the case,” said the CJP.

Meanwhile the court granted Imran Khan’s counsel, Salman Akram Raja one more week to submit a detailed reply in the contempt of court case presently pending in court against him.