Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry’s arrest warrants issued

In a fresh development, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday issued bailable arrest warrants against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry.

The order was issued by a four-member bench of the ECP comprising Nisar Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana, and Justice (retd) Ikramullah.

“Consequently, in the circumstances of the case, we have left with no alternative except to issue a bailable warrant of arrest against respondent in the sum of Rs50,000/- (fifty thousand) with two sureties in the like amount each,” the verdict issued by the ECP read.

It further mentioned that the bailable warrants shall be executed through the Inspector General of Police, Islamabad; directing the office to take follow-up action forthwith and list the matter on March 14.

In its orders issued separately for Khan and Fawad, the ECP said that the respondents were directed to appear in person several times but they failed to do so. The election organising authority added that the PTI chief deliberately sought adjournments on one or other pretext and was also reluctant to appear before the bench which “amounts to a mockery of the law”.

“Such conduct of respondent could not be tolerable, as his non-appearance before this Commission seems to be intentional,” the order read.

‘ECP orders fall under contempt of court’

Strongly reacting to the arrest warrants for him and the PTI chief issued by the ECP in the contempt case, Fawad Chaudhry termed the orders as violations of the Lahore High Court (LHC) ruling.

The LHC, on January 6, suspended the ECP’s arrest warrants for Khan, Fawad and the party’s Secretary General Asad Umar in the case.

“[We] will get the ECP summoned by the high court in contempt of court [case],” he claimed.

Last week, the bench adjourned within a couple of minutes after the former prime minister and two other accused failed to show up at the commission in the case related to the contempt of ECP and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

The cases are pending since August 2022 with little progress made so far. The commission member from Sindh, Nisar Durrani — who heads the bench — on seeing the accused and the counsel missing, remarked, “Let us pass an order”. However, afterwards, no headway could be made in the cases.

The electoral body issued notices to Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar last year for using ‘intemperate, non-parliamentary language and contemptuous remarks’ against the commission and CEC on different occasions.

The three contended that the commission is not a court and hence cannot hear contempt cases. They have filed replies to the notices, which are almost similar. Asad was the only one to appear before the commission bench on February 1 and was directed to submit a reply to the show cause notice. The reply containing an apology was filed by Asad’s counsel, however, afterwards, he retracted and adopted the position taken by the two other accused.