The adjournment occurred due to the absence of Amjad Pervaiz, the lawyer of Election Commission of Pakistan.

A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the case.

During the hearing, the assistant counsel of ECP lawyer Amjad Pervaiz was present in court, while Amjad Pervaiz himself couldn’t attend due to illness.

The assistant counsel informed the court that, for the past 8 months, they have refrained from requesting adjournments. It was revealed that Amjad Pervaiz’s doctor had recommended bed rest, and his absence was unrelated to the ongoing case.

In response, Justice Aamir Farooq noted that the case had reached a critical stage concerning the suspension of sentence. The arguments were anticipated to conclude within 15 to 20 minutes, he added.

Considering there was no Division Bench (DB) available on Friday, the court could have postponed the case until Monday. However, the decision to adjourn was made otherwise, he asserted.

Justice Aamir Farooq, further, remarked that although the court could potentially follow the actions of a trial court, they would not take that route.

He indicated that while the trial court’s actions might have been different, the IHC would maintain its stance. He mentioned that the case would be adjourned until Monday, and if no representation appears, the verdict will be announced.

Expressing concern, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Latif Khosa, questioned the rationale of keeping an individual in jail for an extended period. He expressed disappointment with the court’s proceedings.

He added that if the court was going to continue in the same vein, he might choose not to appear before it, leaving the court to act as it deemed fit.

Subsequently, the court accepted the request of ECP lawyer Amjad Pervaiz for an adjournment and scheduled the next hearing for Monday.