Bilawal indicates his party could pardon Imran Khan if he is convicted by military court

Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday indicated that his party could pardon jailed former prime minister Imran Khan if he is convicted by a military court.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and other top officials had last month said that the 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder may face a military trial for allegedly instigating his followers to attack army installations after his workers went on rampage following his arrest on May 9, 2023.

Talking to reporters here, Bilawal, 36, was asked about his stance on Khan's military trial and he responded in measured words.

“We need to assess the evidence first. After all, we have the authority to grant a presidential pardon,” he said while maintaining that his party was against the death penalty.

His father Asif Ali Zardari, being the the incumbent president, has the power to grant pardon to condemned prisoners who have exhausted their right of appeals against conviction.

The former foreign minister had his father’s power of pardon in mind when he talked about the presidential pardon, even though it is too early to speculate about Khan’s trial by the military and sentence.

Bilawal also spoke about the constitutional amendments. When questioned about the proposed amendments and their deadline of October 25, he stated, “If the amendments are made before October 25, the matter can be settled peacefully. While they can be done later, it may lead to confrontational situations.” He further asserted that his party would not abandon the matter concerning the constitutional court, vowing to see it through to completion.

“We have already faced significant delays, our demands date back to 2006 and are part of our manifesto,” he added.

He mentioned that the head of the constitutional court would serve a three-year term and expressed his opposition to the establishment of military courts, emphasising that the justification for the federal constitutional court lies in the Supreme Court's historical precedents.

Last month, a Pakistani high court disposed of a petition regarding holding a military trial of Khan after it was informed that no decision had been taken by the federal government.

The former cricketer-turned-politician had petitioned the Islamabad High Court against his trial being handed over to the military authorities.