A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Friday converted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrant to a bailable warrant in the case of threatening a woman judge against him.
Earlier, the court had reserved judgment on PTI chief’s plea for extension of arrest warrant.
Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi appeared in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Faizan Haider Gilani who remarked that Imran Khan is bound to appear in court on a future date.
At the beginning of the hearing, the learned judge said that if PTI’s lawyers reach by 10:30, the case will be heard including the arguments of all the parties. After that, he adjourned the hearing till 10:30.
After Imran Khan’s lawyer Gauhar Ali reached the court, the hearing resumed.
Ali requested the court to hear his client’s case on March 30, saying that the PTI chief will appear in the court on March 30 in the Tosha Khana case. He said he would file an application in the civil court to change the date of the arrest warrant from March 29 to March 30.
Addressing the lawyer, Judge Gilani replied, “It is strange that you are requesting for March 30, while the date of the arrest warrant is March 29.”
The prosecutor commented that arguments should be made on the merits of the application for suspension of the arrest warrant.
Lawyer Ali once again requested to extend the suspension of Imran Khan’s arrest warrant till March 30.
The judge said that the court can issue any decision on March 29.
On this, lawyer Ali reiterated that the warrant related to the Toshakhana case is suspended till March 30.
The judge then asked whether Imran Khan ever appeared in court in the case of threatening a female judge against him.
On this, the prosecutor said that the PTI chief never appeared in the court in this case and the copy of the case is yet to be given. The prosecutor said that the lawyer Gohar Ali does not have power of attorney in the case of threatening the lady judge.
The court reserved the decision on the request of Imran Khan’s legal team.
After an adjournment, the court decided to convert Imran Khan’s non-bailable warrant into a bailable warrant.
The court disposed of PTI’s warrant suspension request.
What is the case?
A case was registered against the former prime minister under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and senior officers of the Islamabad Police during a public rally in August last year.
After that, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) started contempt of court proceedings against the former prime minister.
Later, the High Court acquitted the PTI chief along with dropping the terrorism charges after he pleaded guilty in the contempt of court case.
But a similar case was also registered against the PTI chief – after the first information report (FIR) was registered against him – and is still pending in the sessions court.
