Imran Khan rules out seeking presidential relief

With Arif Alvi’s term as the President of Pakistan is coming to an end, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has ruled out prospect of securing any relief via presidential pardon, The News reported Tuesday.

Article 45 of the Constitution that grants the President the power to pardon or remit any conviction against anyone may be interpreted along partisan lines and may eventually land up in the apex court.

Speculations were rife in the federal capital that President Arif Alvi may invoke Article 45 to pardon former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s conviction before bidding adieu to the office.

However, PTI’s Information Secretary Raoof Hasan put an end to such speculations saying that the former prime minister has conveyed to President Alvi not to consider such requests.

Imran Khan has been convicted in three separate cases including the Toshakhana case — by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), cipher case and un-Islamic nikah case wherein he was handed down 14, 10 and seven years imprisonment, respectively.

The move was hinted by PTI leader and senior lawyer Latif Khosa last year when Khan was convicted in Toshakhana case by a district court in Islamabad.

Latif Khosa had said that the president at his own discretion or on the advice of the prime minister can pardon or remit any sentence under Article 45.

He was quoted as saying that there is no bar on the President’s power to grant pardon, adding that all over the world the head of the state has the power to pardon, commute, reprieve and respite any convict.