Legal Services
ISLAMABAD/LONDON:
On Saturday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) revoked Geoffrey Robertson KC’s services after facing severe media criticism.
PTI had previously announced that party Chairman Imran Khan had hired the British lawyer to represent him in international courts regarding “unlawful detention and human rights abuses.”
Following a backlash, PTI deleted the tweet within hours and terminated the services of the UK lawyer.
On September 1, Doughty Street International had tweeted that “Former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and PTI has appointed the eminent human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC of Doughty Street Chambers to advise and represent him in international courts in relation to unlawful detention and human rights abuses.” PTI responded from its official Twitter account, confirming Robertson’s hiring.
PTI announced, “PTI chairman, Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has appointed the eminent human rights Barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC of Doughty Street Chambers to advise and represent him in international courts in relation to unlawful detention and human rights
PTI’s Controversial Legal Hire and Swift Reversal
An Islamabad-based PTI source revealed that Khan decided to hire Robertson after consulting “key UK figures” and receiving advice from Omar Ayub Khan, Zulfi Bukhari, and his Pakistani lawyers. Khan’s adviser for international affairs, Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, praised Robertson’s human rights advocacy.
PTI leader Shahbaz Gill declared, “We’ve engaged international lawyers to fight our Captain’s case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after losing confidence in Chief Justice Bandial and his courts.”
Doughty Street Chambers stated that PTI informed them they no longer required Robertson’s services due to criticism in Pakistan.
Media criticism immediately followed PTI’s announcement of hiring Robertson, who had participated in campaigns against the Pakistani military and spread false theories about the 1971 war and Bangladesh’s separation from Pakistan.
Last week, PTI announced the revocation of engagements with UK solicitor Rashad Yaqoob, his organization Human Rights Legal Aid Foundation (HRLAF), and Azhar Siddique, the Pakistan Supreme Court lawyer based in Manchester.
Geo News had previously revealed that former Prime Minister Khan had instructed England solicitor Yaqoob to seek legal recourse through the UN and international courts for his legal cases and to lobby international bodies to intervene on his behalf regarding the events that followed the May 9 attacks on Pakistan army installations.
Initially, PTI leaders condemned Yaqoob for launching a legal services, but evidence showed that Yaqoob was hired to act for Khan and raise funds for international legal aid, with PTI’s top leadership providing authorization.
