Court issues non-bailable arrest warrant for Imran

QUETTA (Agencies): A local court in Quetta on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the case registered against him under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA). The judicial magistrate issued the arrest warrant and directed authorities to present the former prime minister in court.

A first information report (FIR) was registered at a police station in Quetta against Khan for the comments he made against state institutions and their officers during a speech on Sunday. Complainant Abdul Khalil Kakar had registered the complaint at the Bijli Road Police Station against the PTI chief. The FIR included Sections 153A, 124A, and 505 of the PPC and Section 20 of the PECA. Kakar had alleged that the PTI chief’s statement was an attempt to destroy public peace and order.

In a speech on Sunday, the PTI chief had come down hard on the “state institutions” after a team of Islamabad police had arrived at his Zaman Park residence to arrest him in the Toshakhana case. The deposed prime minister — who was ousted from power in April last year — vented his rage while addressing party workers and supporters at Zaman Park residence in Lahore who participated in the “Jail Bharo Tehreek” (voluntary arrest movement).

In his fiery speech, the PTI chairman said that he had neither kneeled before any institution or person nor would let the nation do so. Khan said it does not matter if the government places his name on the exit control list (ECL) as he has no intention of leaving the country. Taking a dig at the leadership of the ruling Pakistan Democratic PDM alliance, he said that their legs start shaking if their “names are put on the no-fly list”.

Berating the former army chief, Khan alleged that Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa imposed a group of criminals on the country through a conspiracy. Addressing his party workers and supporters, the former prime minister said that there is no security risk, adding that “they” wanted to “remove” (assassinate) him from the path. The deposed prime minister said that he was being dragged into the courts in fake cases.