Rawalpindi: The Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench on Monday suspended the bailable arrest warrants issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan for PTI chief Imran Khan, senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry and party secretary general Asad Umar.
While hearing the petition of PTI leaders against the arrest warrant, Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan suspended the warrant.
The court, despite suspending the warrant, directed the ECP to continue the contempt of court proceedings against the PTI leaders.
The bailable warrant was issued last week by a four-member bench of the ECP headed by member Nisar Durrani.
Fawad to challenge warrants
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had announced soon after the ECP’s verdict that he would challenge the warrant in the High Court and file a contempt petition against the ECP.
الیکشن کمیشن کا قابل ضمانت وارنٹ جاری کرنے کا فیصلہ ہائیکورٹ کے فیصلے کی توہین ہے، کیس کی تاریخ 17 جنوری گھی جس کو رولز کے خلاف آج مقرر کرکے فیصلہ دیا گیا یہ الیکشن کمیشن کے ان بونے ممبران کا ایک اور جانبدار فیصلہ ہے، اس فیصلے کے خلاف ہائیکورٹ میں توھین عدالت کا مقدمہ کریں گے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 10, 2023
Fawad said that ‘ECP’s decision to issue arrest warrant is in contempt of High Court’s decision’. He said that the case was to be heard on January 17 and the verdict was delivered today in violation of the rules.
The PTI leader alleged that it was a “biased” decision by the ECP.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had also allowed the election body to file contempt of court proceedings against Khan, Umar and Fawad.
The three PTI leaders did not appear in the previous hearing of the case citing various issues.
Advocate Ali Bukhari appeared on behalf of the PTI leaders and said that Fawad’s mother is seriously ill and he is with her in a hospital in Lahore while Imran Khan’s doctors have advised him to avoid travelling.
Asad Umar’s lawyer Anwar Mansoor said that PTI Secretary General was supposed to attend the hearing but could not come to the federal capital.
Imran, Fawad and Umar were issued contempt notices by the ECP in August last year for insulting the commission and its chairman Sikandar Sultan Raja in various public meetings, press conferences and interviews.
