JournalismPakistan.com | Published January 17, 2025 at 07:47 pm | JP Staff Report
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ISLAMABAD—In a development that has raised serious questions about judicial independence and the integrity of Pakistan's legal process, several prominent journalists accurately predicted the exact prison sentences for former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case—a full day before the official announcement.
The controversy began when journalist Mehr Bukhari posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) at 1:21 pm on Thursday, stating that Khan would receive 14 years imprisonment while Bushra Bibi would get seven years. The prediction proved eerily accurate when the court announced precisely these sentences on Friday. When questioned about her foreknowledge, Bukhari later modified her post to attribute the information to "sources."
She wasn't alone. Journalist Gharidah Farooqi also tweeted the exact sentences, while analyst Hasan Ayub correctly predicted that the former prime minister's sentence would exceed his wife's by several years.
The precision of these predictions has sparked intense debate about the transparency of Pakistan's judicial process. Former federal minister Shireen Mazari pointedly remarked on the "psychic" abilities of certain journalists who knew "the verdict right down to the exact details" before the judge's announcement. PTI lawyer Salman Safdar expressed similar concerns about the pre-emptive revelations.
Senior journalist Hamid Mir took a more direct approach, suggesting an investigation into how the verdict leaked from the judge's chambers. His call for accountability has added weight to growing concerns about the independence of judicial proceedings in high-profile political cases.
The incident has broader implications for Pakistan's justice system. The advance knowledge of such a significant verdict raises questions not just about judicial independence but also about the relationship between media personnel and judicial authorities. PTI leader Shahbaz Gill's assertion that the court proceedings were merely a "formality" after journalists had already announced the verdict reflects the opposition's deep skepticism about the process.
This controversy unfolds against the backdrop of increasing concerns about judicial transparency in Pakistan, particularly in cases involving political figures. The precise prediction of sentences has added fuel to ongoing debates about the neutrality of legal proceedings and the integrity of the judicial process in high-profile political cases.
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