ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday challenged the non-bailable arrest warrants issued against him by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The petition submitted by Babar Awan maintains that the ECP exceeded its authority while issuing the arrest orders. It termed the warrants as violation of basic human rights and maintained that ECP was acting against Imran Khan on political basis. He requested the court to suspend the arrest warrants. Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Sardar Raza Khan and PTI’s dissident founding member Akbar S Babar have been made parties in the petition. On October 12, the ECP issued non-bailable warrants of Imran Khan in contempt of court case against him for repeatedly failing to appear for the hearing and also failing to send a written apology to the ECP for his absence in court. The ECP while sending the warrants to Islamabad SSP Operations had asked the relevant authorities to arrest Khan and present him before the commission on October 26 at 10:00 AM. The addresses of Imran’s Bani Gala residence and PTI party office in Blue Area have been mentioned on the warrants.
Published in Daily Times, October 19th 2017.
