Full court commission in Imran Khan’s assassination bid likely

Islamabad: Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial is likely to deliberate Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's request for the constitution of a “full court commission” to probe his predecessor Imran Khan's allegations that he was among the three people who plotted the assassination bid on him, a media report said on Monday.

While Monday would be a hectic day at the Supreme Court as several high-profile cases would be heard, Chief Justice Bandial would consult fellow judges on Khan's allegation matter, The News International newspaper reported.

Khan, 70, suffered a bullet injury in the right leg on Thursday last week when two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him and others mounting on a container-mounted truck in the Wazirabad area of Punjab province, where he was leading a protest march against the Shehbaz-led government.

A day after the attack on him, Khan alleged that three people -- Prime Minister Shehbaz, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and Major General Faisal Naseer -- were behind the botched assassination attempt on his life.

Prime Minister Sharif addressed a press conference on Saturday and urged the Chief Justice to make a full court commission, including senior and junior judges, and also said he would send an official letter regarding the matter.

Sharif had also said that if the apex court did not accept his request then such allegations would come up again.

According to sources, the Supreme Court is waiting for an official request from Prime Minister Sharif over the matter seeking the constitution of the full court commission, the report said.

"Chief Justice Bandial will consult fellow judges of the Supreme Court today (Monday) on the presser of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif seeking the formation of a full court for probing the assassination attempt on Imran Khan," the report quoted sources as saying.

“After the Chief Justice receives the official request from the Prime Minister’s Office, pros and cons of the possibility of formation of the judicial commission would be looked into,” the sources said.

Meanwhile, the legal fraternity is of the view that the prime minister has no authority to ask the Chief Justice to constitute a full court for probing any matter adding that it is the prerogative of the Chief Justice to do so, the report said.

Following last week's incident, there has also been a deadlock over filing an FIR.

Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has raised questions over alleged police reluctance to register their complaint.

The deadlock stemmed from Khan's insistence on naming the Army general in the FIR.

Khan said that he has every right to name those responsible for the attack in the FIR, but authorities in Punjab are refusing to file the FIR unless he removes the military official's name from it.

The powerful military has already lashed out at Khan for alleging that a senior Army officer was also involved in the plot to assassinate him. In a hard-hitting statement, the Army said it would jealously protect its personnel from false allegations.