ECP issues arrest warrants for Imran Khan, Asad Umar, Fawad Ch

ECP issues arrest warrants for Imran Khan, Asad Umar, Fawad Ch. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday issued bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Imran Khan, Asad Umar, and Fawad Chaudhry.

The warrants were issued by ECP’s four-member bench headed by member Nisar Durrani hearing the contempt case against the electoral body and its chief.

The bench, while rejecting the PTI leaders’ pleas for exemption, directed them to appear before it on the next hearing which is scheduled on January 17. The commission had reserved the verdict on their pleas on January 3.

Read more: Imran Khan moves LHC against ECP’s notice for his removal as PTI chief

The Supreme Court had also allowed the electoral body to go ahead with contempt proceedings against Khan, Umar and Fawad.

During the last hearing at the Election Commission, lawyer Ali Bukhari appeared on behalf of PTI leaders and took the stand that Fawad’s mother was seriously ill and he was in a hospital in Lahore with her. Also, his brother Faisal Chaudhry is a lawyer in this case and both brothers are with their mother at present.

He continued that Imran Khan has not yet been allowed to travel.

To this, an ECP member inquired about his medical report which claims that the PTI chief was not able to travel. The PTI lawyer promised to submit the report before the bench.

Moreover, the member of the commission said that he had not yet responded to the show cause, directing him to submit the application for an exemption from attendance.

Asad Umar’s lawyer Anwar Mansoor said that the PTI secretary general was to attend the hearing but he could not make it to the federal capital. He contended, “We have applied against the show cause notice, all the three cases are of the same nature. The hearing will be held together and I will give a mandatory reply to the show cause on the next date.”

On the occasion, the ECP DG law had said that he had written in the show cause notice that it had been issued from the Election Commission.

The ECP bench said that warrants were being issued for the appearance of the parties. To this, lawyer Ali Bukhari said that if a warrant was issued, then their application would not be heard.

Senior lawyer Anwar Mansoor argued that instead of the warrant, ECP should make it the final appearance.

Ali Bukhari said that if they do not appear on the next appearance, then a warrant should be issued. The ECP member said that “we will order on this”, after which the hearing of the case was adjourned till January 17.

In August last year, the ECP had issued a contempt notice to the PTI leaders for insulting the commission during various public meetings, press conferences and several interviews.

The notice charged that they insulted and passed unparliamentary, intemperate and contemptuous remarks against the electoral body on various occasions.