Judge Humayun Dilawar faces arrest in land grabbing case

A local court in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for Islamabad Judge Humayun Dilawar, who sentenced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in Toshakhana case last year, in a land grabbing case.

A judicial magistrate also issued arrest warrants for the judge's father, brother and a registrar in the same case.

In a short order — a copy of which is available with Geo News, Magistrate Mahboob ul Hassan wrote that the investigation officer submitted an application, along with complete record, for issuance of warrant against the accused.

“Therefore, by acceptance of instant application, warrant of arrest against the accused Taj Mali Khan, Dilawar Khan, Sadiq and Humayun Dilawar be issued in accordance with law with directions to the ACE [Anti-Corruption Establishment] to arrest them,” stated the order.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) ACE has been directed to arrest the accused, including the registrar, and present them in the court.

Meanwhile, Musaddiq Abbasi — Special Assistant on Anti-Corruption to KP CM — confirmed the development and said a first information report (FIR) had been registered against Judge Dilawar and his three brothers.

“The anti-corruption department has obtained the arrest warrants from the court,” he said, noting that the accused “illegally” registered the land — meant for government purposes — in their names and occupied it for a housing society.

Abbasi claimed that the judge was chief executive of the housing society.

On the other hand, the police said the government has suffered a loss of millions of rupees in this matter.

Last year in August, the deposed prime minister — who was removed from office via a no-confidence motion in April last year — was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore soon after being convicted in the Toshakhana case.

Humayun Dilawar, who was Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) at that time, convicted the 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician for corrupt practices related to the state gift depository — allegations which he denies.

Rejecting Khan's petition seeking inadmissibility of the case, Judge Dilawar sentenced the former prime minister to three years imprisonment. "Charges of misdeclaration of assets have been proven against PTI chairman," he mentioned in his judgment.

He then handed Khan three years in jail along with a fine of Rs100,000, while issuing an arrest warrant for his immediate arrest. However, later the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended Khan's sentence in the Toshakhana case.