Pakistani court issues arrest warrant for ex-PM Imran Khan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Feb 2023 23:20

Khan had appeared before the court three times after his fallout with the Pakistani bureaucracy and was granted temporary bail in all three cases.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a news conference in Shaukat Khanum hospital, where is being treated for a gunshot wound in Lahore, Pakistan, on Nov. 4, 2022 (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudhry)

According to Pakistani media, a court in Islamabad issued an arrest warrant for former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday for continuously failing to appear in court for a hearing on the suspected illicit sale of state gifts, commonly known as the Toshakhana case.

According to Pakistani broadcaster Geo TV, aside from the gift-sale case, Khan was scheduled to appear in three other court hearings in Islamabad on allegations of terrorism, illegal fundraising, and attempted murder. Khan had appeared before the court three times after his fallout with the Pakistani bureaucracy and was granted temporary bail in all three cases.

Pakistan's elections commission barred Khan from holding public office for five years on October 21 for allegedly illegally selling state gifts and concealing money during his time in office.

Khan claimed he was deposed in a US-backed coup and pledged to hold new elections, sparking enormous rallies against the existing administration.

In the same context, back on January 25, an advisor to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested, on Wednesday, for allegedly criticizing electoral officials, police reported.

Imran Khan's Fall from Premiership in Islamabad

Imran Khan resigned due to a no-confidence vote last April. Since then, Khan has been aiming for legislative elections to take place by October of next year, but a judicial body pertaining to the elections committee announced that the former PM is not qualified to participate as an upcoming candidate or run for office for the next five years.

However, Khan's lawyer, Imran Jawhar, commented that the elections committee in Pakistan labeled Khan as being involved in corruption practices, but the lawyer assured that they will appeal that in front of the Supreme Court of Islamabad.

This comes despite Khan's win in the by-elections when he took six out of eight seats in the National Assembly.

Today, the country of almost 220 million people is in serious economic problems, with rampant inflation, depleted foreign exchange reserves, and stalled talks with IMF lenders.