Islamabad police reach Lahore by helicopter to Lahore to arrest PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the ‘judge threatening case,’ after a district and sessions court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for him for failing to appear at the hearing.
Civil Judge Rana Mujahid Rahim had previously issued the three-page reserved verdict.
The court denied Khan’s petition for an exemption from attending the hearing in person but ordered the police to bring the PTI chief before it by March 29.
A police team from Islamabad arrives to arrest Khan as he prepares to lead a massive election rally in a show of power, with thousands of frenzied workers waiting for him to take the lead in the party’s efforts to put pressure on the government.
According to sources, the police would require a large backup to pick up Khan and transport him to Islamabad.
The former prime minister, who was deposed in a no-confidence vote last year, skipped the hearing yet again. Instead, he requested permission to join the court proceedings virtually via video link, requesting an exemption from physically appearing before the judge.
During the hearing, a lawyer for the PTI chief, Intezar Haider Panjutha, said it was not safe for the 71-year-old politician to come to Islamabad amid security threats against him, adding that they have filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) asking permission to appear virtually before the courts.
Another member of Khan’s legal team, Naeem Haider Panjutha, said a petition has been filed seeking exemption from attendance on behalf of the former prime minister on security grounds.
The lawyer also requested to accept Imran’s plea, mentioning “not appearing for some reasons and not willing to appear are two different things.”
Earlier, the sessions court had rejected the PTI chief’s plea by saying “if Imran did not appear in court today, a non-bailable arrest warrant against him would be issued.
If Imran Khan does not appear in court today, the judge said he will issue a non-bailable arrest warrant against him.
Following that, the court briefly adjourned the hearing until 12:30 pm before resuming it.
At Islamabad’s Margalla police station, a case has been filed against the PTI chair for hurling threatening remarks at judge Zeba Chaudhry.
زمان پارک کی مکمل ناکہ بندی کے باوجود اہلِ لاہور بڑی تعداد میں گھروں سے نکل چکے ہیں۔ تاہم میں اپنے کارکنان، عوام یا اپنی پولیس کو اس آگ کا ایندھن نہیں بناسکتا جسکی آڑ میں یہ فسطائی ٹولہ انتخاب سےفرار کا خواہاں اور ہمیں مزید جھوٹے پرچوں میں پھانسنے کےخواب دیکھتا ہے! pic.twitter.com/U5aefyWY2E
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 12, 2023
