PESHAWAR: A lawyer on Friday moved the Peshawar High Court against former prime minister Imran Khan over the latter’s claim about a plot to kill him and requested the court to order the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief to disclose the source of his “information.”

In the petition, Sajjad Ahmad Mehsud of South Waziristan tribal district insisted that the court should act against Imran in accordance with the law if the former PM failed to share the source of that plot information or his information was found to be false.

He also sought the court’s orders for explanation from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on the coverage of that assassination claim by TV channels without verification.

The petitioner claimed that the assertion about the hiring of two shooters from South Waziristan tribal district had caused chaos in the area besides giving a bad name to the local population.

Says legal action should be taken against ex-PM if assertion found false

He prayed the high court to declare illegal the “act of Mr Imran as well as other respondents, including government functionaries, to ignore the fundamental rights of the people of that area by issuing and allowing the issuance of that statement.”

As an interim relief, the petitioner requested the court to stop the government and other respondents from taking any “adverse action” against inhabitants of South Waziristan on the basis of that assassination plot claim until the final disposal of the petition.

He claimed that military operations were successfully carried out in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas, especially in South Waziristan district, against militants on different occasions leading to the martyrdom of scores of personnel of security forces, local inhabitants and other people.

The petitioner said that the people of the area were displaced before being brought back in phases after their proper clearance and that, too, after their areas were declared free from all miscreants.

He added that restrictions were imposed on the keeping of arms and ammunition and maintaining links with militants.

The petitioner said that while chairing a meeting of his party at his residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park area a few days ago, Mr Imran alleged that a plot had been hatched to kill him and “two professional assassins from South Waziristan” tribal district had been hired for the purpose.

He contended that the inhabitants of South Waziristan region had not been treated in accordance with the law and that such misstatement on part of the former prime minister to link them with terrorism had greatly damaged their image.

The petitioner contended that the people of South Waziristan were victims of

terrorist activities and that they had already seen great devastation, so the impugned statement would make people see them with suspicion in future.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2023