ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, a district and sessions court stayed the arrest warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan until March 16. Court issued warrants because of his controversial comments regarding a female judge at an Islamabad rally.
The extra sessions judge Faizan Haider Gillani looked into his case.
Senior civil judge Rana Mujahid Rahim had issued an arrest warrant for Khan the day before because he had repeatedly failed to show up in court. A police team from the federal capital flew by helicopter to Lahore to arrest the PTI chairman.
Khan didn’t go to the hearing, and he asked the judge for permission to watch the court proceedings through a video link instead of showing up in person.
The court turned down the plea of the former prime minister, whose government lost power after a vote of no confidence in April of last year, and told the police to bring Khan before the court by March 29.
The hearing today
At the start of the hearing, Khan’s lawyers, Naeem Haider Panjotha and Intezar Haider Panjotha, fought against the arrest warrants on Khan’s behalf.
Imran Khan’s lawyers made their case, All of the conditions put on the PTI leader are bailable,. They said
The court told Khan’s lawyers to fix the important documents in the case and send them back.
The lawyers said that since Khan was a former prime minister, it was the government’s job to protect him. Imran Khan got no protection from the government, Said the lawyer.
The judge asked the lawyer if there was a letter that said Khan’s security had been taken away. If there was, the judge wanted to see it by tomorrow (Wednesday). The judge also said something about how the former prime minister’s campaign got off the ground.
The lawyer said, “Imran Khan showed up at the courthouse.”
In his defence, the government prosecutor said that court also called Khan in Toshakhana case.
During the hearing, the judge said that Khan had shown up in the courthouse but not in front of the katchehri.
“The katchehri was attacked in 2014. Did it move after that?” asked judge Gillani, adding that the katchehri didn’t even move when Imran Khan was in charge.
He also said, “Tell me about the PTI’s single legal reform.”
Khan can come to the katchehri, the judge said, because he has been there before.
He also said that Khan was asked by the court to give him copies of the case. “Copies of the case are given to the suspect for his own use and to no one else,” he said.
The prosecutor said that whether or not the sections can be released on bail has nothing to do with the warrant.
Khan’s Security
Imran Khan’s security has been taken away, and this is my case,” Khan’s lawyer said.
The judge asked the lawyer to send the court a letter about this.
The barrister asked for a date in March, since Khan had also asked the Islamabad High Court to let him appear via video link.
“You know what’s going to happen with the video link. The judge said, “I’ll give you two months.”
The lawyer said he can’t come because he has other plans and asked the court for Thursday.
After this, the court sent notices to both sides and told Khan’s lawyers to bring documents about the return of his security.
The court put off the hearing until March 16.
