Arrest warrants without bail against former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, intended to secure his presence in court in two criminal cases, have been reopened by Islamabad’s lower court, the Daily Times reported on March 14.
The court reportedly rejected Khan’s request for a one-time suspension of his court appearance for “threats” against a female judge of an additional session court and ordered police to guarantee the former prime minister’s appearance on 29 March.
According to the judge in the courtroom, copies of the documents must be delivered personally to Imran Khan, so attendance is mandatory, and appeals to the “threat to life” of the politician are insignificant.
In addition, the Islamabad Session Supplementary Court reinstated the arrest warrant for Imran Khan in a case of “illicit gains” from the sale of gifts Khan bought from the Pakistani treasury. The arrest must be made by March 18, before the next court session.
For his part, Imran Khan’s defense challenged both cases, raising arguments about the violation of procedural rules, in particular, the deadlines for filing claims under Pakistani law.
Recall that in the winter of 2023, the Islamabad High Court closed the case of “threats” against an additional session court judge, deeming Khan’s unconditional apology and written commitment not to repeat such statements in the future as sufficient.
It should be noted that the number of criminal cases against Imran Khan opened in multi-level courts across Pakistan is growing every day. Earlier, local journalists estimated that more than 75 criminal cases have already been opened against Imran Khan, but the opposition leader has yet to be arrested.
On March 13, it was reported that Imran Khan’s Movement for Justice party had already developed strategies in case their leader was arrested.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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