The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued bailable arrest warrants for PTI Chairman, and Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry, and Asad Umar in cases related to the contempt of the electoral body.
The 4 member bench of the Election Commission headed by member Nisar Durrani passed the order.
Party leaders have repeatedly bashed the commission and Raja over what they claim is their partisanship and frequently pillory the electoral body as a “subsidiary of the PML-N”.
At the previous hearing, the ECP had given the PTI leaders a last chance to appear before the commission, warning that their absence before the commission at the next hearing on January 17 would result in the issuance of arrest warrants.
During the hearing today, the ECP rejected the pleas of PTI leaders seeking an exemption from appearing before the commission and issued arrest warrants for them against surety bonds worth Rs50,000 each.
The bench, subsequently, adjourned the hearing till Jan 17.
Reacting to the development, Asad Umar tweeted that the ECP, instead of fulfilling its responsibilities, had indulged in such actions. “They themselves are guilty of contempt of court by not holding Islamabad elections,” he said on Twitter.
Secretary General PTI @Asad_Umar’s tweet regarding yet another shameful act by ECP! pic.twitter.com/Bh1ghiBmrQ
— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 10, 2023
Fawad Chaudhry said he would file contempt of court proceedings against the electoral watchdog.
“The case was supposed to be heard on Jan 17 but it was fixed today in violation of the rules. This is another biased verdict issued by the ECP members,” he added.
Meanwhile, PTI lawyer Babar Awan claimed that Election Commission is running a campaign against Imran.
“They are just trying to somehow disqualify him. But let me tell you, this minus-one formula won’t work on Imran Khan,” he told reporters outside a court in Islamabad.
Issuance of these arrest warrants of Imran Khan, and other PTI leaders will create more political unrest in the country. The clash between political parties and state institutions will increase the instability in the country. Pakistan cannot afford such clashes in these economic situations.
