The Election Commission of Pakistan issued on Thursday non-bailable arrest warrants of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in relation to the contempt of court case against him.
The five-member bench under the Chief Election Commissioner heard the case. In the previous hearing, the ECP had expressed anger over the absence of Imran’s lawyer Babar Awan as it had given him the last chance to submit response.
The ECP ordered that Imran Khan should be arrested and presented before it on October 26.
In today’s hearing, advocate Shahid Gondil told the court that the case, pertaining to the ECP’s jurisdiction to hear the plea, was pending the Islamabad High Court until October 11.
It is pertinent to mention that earlier the IHC had suspended the bailable arrest warrants issued against Imran Khan by the ECP. The ECP had earlier also issued bailable warrants of arrest against Imran for failing to appear before it in the contempt of court case against him.
In its ruling, the ECP ordered Imran to submit a surety bond of Rs100,000 until September 25 and nominate two persons who would ensure payment of the amount and be held responsible otherwise.
Akbar Babar, the petitioner who had filed the foreign funding case against the PTI leadership, had informed the ECP that the PTI chief had accused it of being biased in the foreign funding case following which his counsel tendered an apology with the commission.
The PTI chief had challenged the ECP’s decision to hear a contempt case against him. The PTI had petitioned the IHC seeking an end to the contempt of court hearing against Imran.
