A Quetta Court in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a case of incitement against state institutions, but the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted PTI chief Imran Khan temporary relief.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) later granted the PTI chief temporary relief by suspending the non-bailable arrest warrants issued by district and sessions courts against him in the Toshakhana case reference by March 13.
On March 5, a team of Islamabad police officers went to Lahore with court orders to arrest Imran Khan, but the PTI chief evaded arrest. Imran Khan later applied to a district and sessions court to have the arrest warrants revoked. The sessions judge, however, denied his request and upheld the warrants. The IHC also ordered that the deposed premier appear in district and sessions courts on the same day.
Following his speech on Sunday, Quetta police registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Khan under Sections 153A, 124A, and 505 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, on behalf of a citizen, Abdul Khalil Kakar, for “spreading hatred” against state institutions and their offices.
The case was taken up by a judicial magistrate court in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, and a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued. The court ordered the authorities to detain Khan and bring him before the court.
Khan slammed the state institutions after a botched attempt by police to arrest him from his home in Lahore’s Zaman Park area over the weekend.
The police raid occurred after an Islamabad court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khan in the Toshakhana case.
Khan has been accused of buying gifts for profit, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he received as premier at a discounted price from the state depository known as Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
Khan, who has been charged in dozens of cases, stated last week that at least 76 have been filed against him.
Earlier on Thursday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) declared that a petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against Khan for his alleged campaign against the judiciary was inadmissible.
In his ruling on the petition filed by Naeem Qamar, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan stated that the PTI chief’s statements, prima-facie, appeared to be against the Islamabad-based judges.
