LAHORE/QUTEEA: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest warrant, which had been issued by a regional court in a case against him in Quetta, was suspended by the Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday for a period of two weeks. The suspension occurs as a Quetta police team arrives in Lahore to arrest the PTI chairman in accordance with a court order. On behalf of the PTI leader, Iqbal Shah of the Insaf Lawyers Forum (ISF) filed a petition, which was heard by Justice Zaheer-Ud-Din Kakar of the BHC. The court was asked to dismiss the FIR because, according to the plea, the crime was not committed within the boundaries of the Bijli Police Station, where the case had been filed.
The Balochistan police chief, SP legal, and the station were all served summonses by Justice Kakar along with suspending the warrant.
After that, the hearing was postponed for two weeks. To arrest the PTI leader, a five-person team led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Investigations Nadeem had arrived in Lahore. The team consists of two other officers, Deputy Superintendent of Police Abdul Sattar, and a sub-inspector. The PTI leader was the subject of a case filed against him under several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA), which led a local court in Quetta to issue a non-bailable arrest warrant for him the day before. The arrest warrant was issued by the judge, who also instructed the police to take the former prime minister to court. For Khan’s remarks against the state, a first information report (FIR) was filed at a police station in Quetta.
Complainant Abdul Khalil Kakar had registered the complaint at the Bijli Road Police Station against the PTI chief. The FIR included Sections 153A, 124A, and 505 of the PPC and Section 20 of PECA.Kakar had alleged that the PTI chief’s statement was an attempt to destroy public peace and order.In the speech on Sunday, the PTI chief had come down hard on the “state institutions” after a team of Islamabad police had arrived at his Zaman Park residence to arrest him in the Toshakhana case.The deposed prime minister — who was ousted from power in April last year — vented his rage while addressing party workers and supporters at Zaman Park residence in Lahore who participated in the “Jail Bharo Tehreek” (voluntary arrest movement).In his fiery speech, the PTI chairman said that he had neither kneeled before any institution or person nor would let the nation do so.
