ISLAMABAD (Internews Pakistan) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued on Tuesday bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.
The arrest warrants for the deposed premier were issued in the ECP contempt case. According to the ECP, Mr Khan was not appearing before the electoral watchdog despite being summoned persistently.
On Tuesday, the ECP dismissed a plea against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s possible removal as the party chief. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the plea.
Barrister Gohar, Mr Khan’s lawyer, argued that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had barred the commission from issuing any verdict in the case to which the chief election commissioner replied that the LHC had barred from issuing the verdict and not discontinuing the hearing. Mr Gohar argued that neither he was asking him to do so.
Afaq Ahmad said the ECP had been serving false notices on him, adding that the notices issued to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar were being sent to him. “The notices could not reach me on time due to the negligence of the deputy director of the Law department,” he added.
The CEC rebuked him saying he should not point fingers at anyone, lower his voice and talk about the relevant case. Mr Ahmad argued who was responsible for serving a notice after the case had been taken up for hearing. The CEC remarked what he meant by that to which he argued he would not say what Mr Raja wanted to listen to.
Upon this, the CEC ordered police to send Mr Ahmad out of the courtroom. Later, the ECP dismissed the plea.
PTI chairman Imran Khan, in his reply, stated that the LHC had barred the ECP from issuing a verdict in the case so the ECP should adjourn the hearing until the LHC issued a verdict. “The Supreme Court had issued a declaration of disqualification in Nawaz Sharif’s case but no forum did so in Imran Khan’s case,” he added. A party head could be removed only, he said, if the declaration had been issued.
