Arrests warrant for no-show Khan over threatening judge

Threatening remarks Khan made against an Islamabad district & sessions judge last August seems to be catching up with him.

By Naveed Naqvi

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions judge Monday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for former prime minister Imran Khan after he failed to present himself for trial for hurling public threats against a female judge.

This is one of several court battles going badly for Khan, who has been fighting tooth and nail since his ouster in April last year to claw his way back into power. The case concerns remarks Khan made during a rally speech at Islamabad’s F-9 park in August 2022.

He was reported to have accused the judiciary of bias against his party, warned it of “consequences”, and directly threatened Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry saying, “We will not spare you”.

On Monday, Khan was due to appear before the court but he failed to show up. His lawyers filed a request for exception from appearing in person, citing security concerns. The court rejected the plea.

A separate acquittal request was also made by Imran Khan’s lawyers, on which the court issued notices to the parties for the next hearing. During the hearing, Civil Judge Rana Mujahid Rahim said that if Imran Khan does not appear during the court hours, he will issue a non-bailable warrant for his arrest.

The court adjourned the hearing till 12:30 pm. When the hearing resumed after the break, civil judge Rana Mujahid Rahim said that the court has summoned Imran Khan to proceed with the indictment proceedings.

Khan’s Lawyer Intizar Panjotha said that Imran Khan is a former prime minister. There was a murderous attack on him in Wazirabad, and he has still not fully recovered from the injuries he allegedly sustained in the attack. He further said there may be another murderous attack on Imran Khan.

Arguing Khan’s plea for exception from in-person appearance, Panjotha said his client was not on the run, nor was he making any excuses. The court reserved its verdict on the request.

The court then issued a non-bailable arrest warrant and ordered the police to arrest and produce Imran Khan on the next date of hearing, which it set as March 29.