ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in a case of threatening a judge.
Civil Judge Malik Aman rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s plea for immunity from today’s hearing.
The court also ordered the PTI chief to appear on April 18.
During the hearing, Khan’s lawyers requested that his non-bailable arrest warrant be maintained as he faces security threats.
PTI chief’s lawyer said that ‘Imran Khan has security concerns, his life is in danger, the Islamabad High Court has also issued notices to withdraw his security’.
On this, the judge said that no one has appeared on behalf of the prosecution yet, let’s see what they say.
Later, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till eleven o’clock.
After the break, Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi appeared in Civil Judge Malik Aman’s court and opposed Imran Khan’s plea for exemption from today’s appearance.
The prosecutor said Khan was absent and the bailable warrant should be changed to non-bailable.
Even the application is not signed by him.
After the arguments of the parties on the petition were completed, the court reserved its decision which was pronounced later.
The charges in the case relate to a speech Khan made in which he allegedly threatened the police and a female judge last year when one of his close aides, Shehbaz Gul, was denied bail in a sedition case.
The cricket star-turned-politician has been facing legal troubles since his ouster in a vote of confidence by the united opposition led by his successor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in April last year.
A convicted politician can be disqualified for at least five years under the laws of the land.
