Court issues arrest warrants for Imran Khan

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate of Islamabad on Saturday issued arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Chairman Imran Khan on his continuous disappearance in a case pertaining to his threatening remarks about a female judge and police high-ups.

The court of Judicial Magistrate Rana Mujahid Raheem had repeatedly summoned Imran Khan in the case but he failed to appear. At this, arrest warrants had been issued against him. The court had ordered the Station House Officer (SHO) Margalla Police Station to present the accused Imran Khan Niazi, son of Ikramullah Niazi before the court after arresting him.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan has summoned an important meeting of party spokespersons to review the country’s political situation, on Saturday. According to details, the former premier has summoned a meeting of party spokespersons at his residence in Bani Gala at 02:00 pm.

Besides discussing the country’s political situation, the meeting will also formulate a strategy against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led federal government.

Islamabad police on Saturday announced that PTI Chairman Imran Khan could be arrested if he fails to appear before the court for threatening a female judge and Islamabad police officials. A spokesman for Islamabad police said that arrest warrant is a legal process and it was issued after Imran Khan failed to appear before the court in its last hearing. “Warrants are issued to ensure appearance of suspects before courts,” the spokesman said.

The police official said the case 407/22 was transferred to a session court after the Islamabad High Court removed terrorism charges from it. “Imran Khan is yet to seek bail from the session court,” the official said. He warned that the PTI chief could be arrested if he fails to comply with the court orders and appear before it.

An Islamabad court on Saturday issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan in a case pertaining to hurling threats at female judge Zeba Chaudhry.

It may be mentioned here that the capital police had registered FIR No.407 on August 20, against Imran Khan under sections 504/506 and 188/189 for threatening female judge Zeba Chaudhry and officials of Islamabad Police. However, the clauses of Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) were removed from the FIR on the directives of Islamabad High Court (IHC). The case was shifted to the district court from the Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) after the decision of IHC.

In his Aug 20 address, Imran had threatened to file cases against Islamabad’s inspector general of police and deputy inspector general of police and said: “We won’t spare you.” The former premier had taken exception to ADSJ Chaudhry, who had approved Shahbaz Gill’s two-day physical remand at the request of the capital police, and said she should “prepare herself as action would be taken against her”.

The arrest warrant came to light hours after Imran submitted to the Islamabad High Court an affidavit in a contempt case against him, saying he had realised he “might have crossed a line” in his criticism of Chaudhry and was willing to apologise to her “if she got an impression” that he had crossed a line.

The court had sought the affidavit during a hearing on September 22, when Imran had offered to tender an apology to Chaudhry, who had earlier caught flak from the PTI supremo after approving his close aide Shahbaz Gill’s physical remand in a sedition case. Imran’s offer to apologise had seen him escape the indictment. In his affidavit submitted to court today, Imran said he had “realised during these (contempt) proceedings before the honourable court that he might have crossed a red line while making [a] public speech on August 20, 2022”.

However, he added, he never intended to threaten Judge Chaudhry and “there was no intention behind the statement to take any action other than legal action”. He said he wanted to assure the IHC that he was willing to explain and clarify before Judge Chaudhry that“ neither he nor his party seeks/sought any action“ against her and he was willing to apologise to her “if she got an impression that the deponent (Imran) had crossed a line”.

The PTI chief assured the court that in future he would not do anything that would hurt the dignity of any court and the judiciary, especially the lower judiciary.
He also expressed his willingness to take any further steps that the IHC “deems necessary and appropriate for the satisfaction of the honourable court that he never intended to interfere in the process of the court or impugn the dignity or independence of the judiciary”. Imran assured the court that he would always stand by his statement in the affidavit in letter and spirit. (APP)