New non-bailable arrest warrant issued for ex-Pakistan PM Khan: Media
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The Pakistani Finance Minister is nominated to lead a caretaker government.
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Head of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan delivers a speech during an election campaign rally in Islamabad, on June 30, 2018 (AFP)
The latest in a string of legal challenges facing former Prime Minister Imran Khan is that Pakistan's electoral commission has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for him, according to a report on Monday by Geo News.
Khan was detained by Pakistani police in May in relation to an alleged corruption scandal that led to deadly riots throughout the nation. Within days, he received a bail release.
It was not immediately clear which charge the Election Commission's order is related to and whether police would act on the warrant. Geo did not disclose its source.
Since his removal, Khan has been accused of numerous crimes, including as graft, murder, and sedition, in numerous organizations and tribunals.
Read more: Pakistan's former PM Imran Khan arrested in Islamabad
In the most recent of the numerous cases, Pakistan's Interior Minister announced last week that the government will initiate criminal procedures against Khan on suspicion of disclosing state secrets in connection with diplomatic communications between Washington and Islamabad.
Pakistan's Finance Minister suggested as caretaker government head
In order to forward the economic changes agreed upon under an IMF pact, one of the major parties in Pakistan's ruling coalition has suggested that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar lead a new caretaker administration, according to party sources.
According to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the coalition will dissolve parliament next month and transfer power to a caretaker government in order to prepare for general elections.
According to sources who were not authorized to speak to the media and asked to remain anonymous, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has proposed Dar's name to its coalition partners.
"We think he could be the best bet to continue with the economic reforms agreed with the IMF," a PML-N member told Reuters.
The IMF granted Pakistan a much-needed $3 billion short-term financial package last month as it teeters on the verge of default.
Imran Khan's administration was overthrown by the ruling coalition in April 2022 after he lost a confidence vote in parliament after falling out of favor with the veto-wielding military. The military denies that it was involved in his dismissal.
The caretaker government could not be impartial, if led by Dar, according to Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
"If Ishaq Dar is to be made a caretaker prime minister, then there will be no elections but only a selection," PTI Spokesperson Farrukh Habib said.
The Pakistan Peoples' Party, the PML-N's primary coalition partner, claimed that it has not yet decided on a candidate to lead the caretaker administration. Sherry Rehman, the group's leader, told reporters that a commission from her party will suggest a candidate.
Upon being questioned by Reuters about the plan, Dar merely responded, "Let's wait". Marriyum Aurangzeb, the minister of information, did not respond when contacted for comment.
