By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A court on Monday rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s petition to cancel non-bailable arrest warrant against him in the Toshakhana case a day after the ex-premier evaded arrest following a police raid on his residence in the eastern city of Lahore.
Additional Session judge Zafar Iqbal, who had earlier in the day reserved the verdict, announced it later in the day after a brief hearing of the case.
The lower court in Islamabad said it was rejecting the petition as Khan did not make an appearance during the hearing of his petition.
The same court had on February 28 issued the non-bailable arrest warrants for Khan over his repeated absence in a case involving the sale of gifts Khan received as the prime minister.
Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository and selling them for profit.
On October 21 last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said the Pakistan PTI chief made “false statements and incorrect declarations” regarding these gifts.
Subsequently the ECP in a landmark judgement disqualified Khan for making “false statements and incorrect declaration” in the Toshakhana issue.
On Sunday, an Islamabad police team reached Khan’s residence in Lahore with the court summons. The team, however, returned empty-handed when the situation got tensed after the ex-premier’s supporters blocked its entry to his home.
The former premier had also filed an application to the lower courts in Lahore and Islamabad on Monday morning to suspend the arrest warrant, his lawyers said.
Meanwhile, Islamabad Police on Monday registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and 150 of his party workers for obstructing law enforcement agency officials from implementing a court order against the ousted prime minister a day earlier.
The police faced stiff resistance from PTI activists outside Khan’s Zaman Park residence.
The case, nominates Khan’s chief of staff Senator Shibli Faraz and 150 of his party workers, was registered on Monday at the Race Course police station on the complaint of Station House Officer (SHO) Nadeem Tahir.
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