The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday suspended the arrest warrants of the president and former prime minister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case.
IHC Chief Justice Amir Farooq, while accepting Imran Khan’s guilty plea against Extra Session Judge Zafar Iqbal’s decision, delivered the reserved verdict.
The court also ordered Khan to ensure that he appears in the lower court on March 13.
Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had reserved the verdict on the President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan‘s against the warrants for his arrest without bail issued against him in the Toshakhana case. Mr Khan had asked the IHC to rescind orders issued by a session court due to his multiple failures to appear in court to save the prosecution today.
His lawyer argued that he could not appear in court because the day he was summoned by the session court was the day Mr. Khan was due to appear before three other courts. The court subsequently issued arrest warrants for him followed by attempted arrests by the capital’s police.
Judge Amir Farooq asked what would happen if he revoked the arrest warrants. “The court has summoned him for prosecution only because one must act in accordance with the law,” he remarked. How else should the court subpoena him, he asked further. Khan should seek exemption after the indictment if he so wishes, he said.
IHC Chief Justice Amir Farooq asked when Khan would appear for the indictment. Could you inform the court after consulting with the president of the PTI? he implored. He commented that Mr. Khan was due to appear before the IHC on March 9, so he could also appear before the other court. Give me a date for the arraignment so he can write to the trial court of the date, he said.
He commented that everyone faced security threats here and not just Mr. Khan.
The PTI chief’s lawyer argued that Mr. Khan would appear before the session court within four weeks. The CJ commented that it was impractical and meant that Khan would not appear before the IHC on Thursday either. Then let the IHC inform the sessional court that it should put Khan on trial as a fugitive, he said.
Mr Khan’s lawyers argued that he could not appear before the session court as the IHC had ordered him to appear before it on 9 March, to which the CJ commented that this was the reason why his case had been fixed. for the hearing at 3:00 pm “Appear in court at your ease,” he remarked.
Lawyers for the PTI chief have pleaded with the high court to set the case for hearing today (Tuesday) and cancel the arrest warrants. The petition comes as Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal is hearing the Toshakhana case.
The former prime minister skipped district and session court impeachment hearings three times in the case brought at the request of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for concealing details of gifts he withheld from Toshakhana while in the can.
Additional sessions judge Zafar Iqbal was due to file charges against him on February 28, but his lawyer requested that the hearing be waived because he had to appear before other courts in the capital city. The judge then issued arrest warrants without the possibility of bail against the head of the PTI and adjourned the hearing until March 7.
A day earlier, the session court rejected a petition by Khan to quash the non-bail warrants issued against him for failing to appear in court. The court had announced the verdict on the guilty plea entered by Khan’s lawyers, Qaisar Imam, Barrister Gohar and Ali Bukhari.
Mr. Imam had demanded the annulment of the warrants, arguing that the law prohibited the issuance of arrest warrants to a certain extent if the guilty plea was filed as a private complaint. Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal commented that Mr. Khan’s lawyers had informed the court on the day the arrest warrants were issued that his client would not appear in court.
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