A magistrate in Islamabad issued an arrest warrant for Pakistan Tahrik-e-Insaf leader and Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan on 30th September 2022. The warrant was issued by Senior Civil Judge Rana Mujahid Rahim after Imran Khan didn’t appear in court in a case filed against him for allegedly threatening a female judge.
Imran Khan is accused of threatening District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry while addressing a public meeting on 20th August 2022 in Islamabad. Following his remarks, a case was registered against him on August 20. Imran Khan was booked under several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code in the FIR against him, including 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).
The PTI chief is also facing contempt of court charges for his comments against Judge Zeba Chaudhry. Imran Khan had made the comments against the judge for approving his aide Shahbaz Gill’s two-day police custody on August 17. Imran Khan’s Chief of Staff was arrested on sedition charges for making comments against the army. The former PM had said that the judge should “prepare herself as action would be taken against her”.
In the controversial August 20 address, Imran Khan had also threatened to file cases against Islamabad’s inspector general of police and deputy inspector general of police, accusing him of inhuman treatment of Gill in custody.
Arrest warrant for Imran Khan issued. pic.twitter.com/eN8WXDLn0T
— Shiffa Z. Yousafzai (@Shiffa_ZY) October 1, 2022
According to the police, when the Islamabad High Court dismissed terror charges in a case filed against Imran Khan for his statements, the matter was sent to a sessions court, and the former Pakistani prime minister did not receive bail there. The police further said that as Imran Khan didn’t attend the last court hearing, the warrant was issued to ensure that he is present during the next hearing.
Imran Khan was charged with terrorism on the allegation of Islamabad Saddar Magistrate Ali Javed for terrorizing the federal capital’s additional sessions judge, Zeba Chaudhry. Following Imran Khan’s address at the PTI rally in Islamabad’s F9 Park in August, a first information report (FIR) was filed with the Margalla police.
However, on September 19, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the removal of terrorist sections from the lawsuit filed against the PTI head for threatening a woman judge and Islamabad police personnel. After the Islamabad High Court (IHC) withdrew the terrorism charges against him, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) instructed Imran to move the sessions court for temporary bail since the subject did not fall under its purview.
The PTI leader earlier today filed an affidavit before the IHC in the contempt suit about threats made against the additional district and sessions judge. The former prime minister assured in the affidavit to the court that he would never again take any action that would diminish the stature of any court or the judiciary, particularly the subordinate courts. The PTI leader stated that he is willing to take additional steps to satisfy the court in this respect and that he would fully adhere to what he indicated before the court in the last hearing. He wrote that he “might have crossed a red line while making a public speech”.
The affidavit was demanded by the court at a hearing on September 22, when Imran promised to apologize to Chaudhry after the PTI leader criticized her for allowing Shahbaz Gill’s physical remand in a sedition case. Imran was spared from jail because of his promise to apologize.
Yesterday, Imran Khan had reached the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry to personally apologise for his comments, but could not do so as she was not present in the court. He informed the officials of the court that he came to apologise.
