Pak court docket cancels Imran Khan’s arrest warrant in Toshakhana case amidst clashes between police, PTI staff

By Press Trust of India: A Pakistani choose on Saturday cancelled former premier Imran Khan’s arrest warrants within the Toshakhana corruption case and allowed him to go residence with out indicting him, amidst clashes between his supporters and police outdoors the court docket complicated right here.

Khan arrived on the Islamabad Judicial Complex from Lahore to look earlier than the court docket of Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal to attend proceedings on a grievance filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan for allegedly concealing particulars of presents in his belongings declarations.

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Judge Iqbal after ready for hours for the 70-year-old chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) social gathering to achieve the court docket agreed with the suggestion by his lawyer to get the signature of the previous premier on the attendance sheet in his automobile to adjust to the court docket orders of in-person presence.

The choose allowed Khan to return to Lahore after marking his attendance outdoors the Islamabad Judicial Complex the place he was set to be indicted within the Toshakhana case.

“The situation as it is, the hearing and appearance cannot proceed that is why all those who have gathered here should disperse after marking attendance. There is no need for shelling or pelting, the hearing cannot be held today,” the judge was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper.

Judge Iqbal also cancelled the arrest warrants issued against Khan in the Toshakhana case and adjourned the hearing till March 30 due to the chaos following clashes between police and PTI workers.

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The people inside the courtroom were facing difficulties due to the effects of the teargas while PTI party workers pelted stones at the court complex.

Senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi confirmed to the media that all legal formalities regarding Khan’s appearance in the court had been fulfilled and he was leaving the premises. Thus, Khan went away without his indictment in the case.

Khan earlier reached the court premises but his efforts to reach the courtroom were thwarted due to the deteriorating law and order situation.

Khan had warned in a video message that he was expecting an attempt to arrest him.

Pemra – the electronic media watchdog- had banned television coverage of the Judicial Complex and political rallies.

“Another day in lifetime of Pakistan has handed with out disaster. […] Narrow escape. Any main accident may have occurred,” tweeted President Arif Alvi, who belongs to Khan’s social gathering.

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Alvi known as on all politicians to work collectively to take the nation out of its present points.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz quipped at Khan, saying he was a “jackal who is scared of getting arrested which is why he is refusing to come outside of his car.”

Earlier, clashes erupted between safety forces and Khan’s supporters outdoors the judicial complicated forward of his look earlier than the court docket.

Islamabad police chief Akbar Nasir Khan advised the media that Khan’s supporters resorted to violence, pelted stones on the police and in addition set on fireplace a police picket.

“Our force is tackling the situation with patience,” he mentioned, including that Khan was simply 5 minutes away from driving to the court docket.

Stringent safety measures have been carried out outdoors the judicial complicated in Islamabad’s G-11, the place Khan appeared.

A big contingent of police was deployed to the world to supply safety for Khan, who survived an assassination try in November final yr.

Khan arrived in Islamabad from Lahore to look earlier than the court docket. He was accompanied by his supporters in a convoy. At least three automobiles in his convoy additionally met with an accident close to the Kalar Kahar space on the M-2 motorway however no casualties have been reported.

He appeared earlier than Lahore High Court on Friday and guaranteed that he was able to current himself on Saturday earlier than Judge Iqbal dealing with the corruption case towards him.

Khan has been within the dock for getting presents, together with an costly Graff wristwatch, he obtained because the premier at a reduced worth from the state depository known as Toshakhana and promoting them for revenue.

Meanwhile, over 10,000 armed Punjab police personnel launched a serious operation at Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore and arrested dozens of staff of his social gathering and claimed to have seized weapons and petrol bombs, hours after he left for Islamabad.

The police launched the “grand operation” at Khan’s Zaman Park residence right here and eliminated all camps, and barricades erected there by the social gathering activists to stop his arrest within the Toshakhana case.

During the operation, 61 staff of the social gathering have been arrested and about 10 PTI staff and three policemen have been injured.

Khan’s Lahore residence remained a battlefield between his social gathering staff and police and Rangers for 2 days earlier this week over his “arrest operation” within the case.

The PTI staff, nevertheless, succeeded in foiling his arrest try and the operation was halted on the Lahore High Court’s order earlier this week.

Inspector General Police Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar after the operation advised a press convention that earlier the police had stopped the operation at Zaman Park on LHC order and PSL match.

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“However, the court didn’t stop us from taking action against those involved in attacking police. Today we launched an operation at 12 noon. We faced resistance from the PTI workers however we managed to control the situation and arrested 61 workers,” he mentioned.

The IGP mentioned that 20 rifles, together with Kalashnikov, and petrol bomb bottles have been recovered from Khan’s residence.

Some bunkers have been additionally constructed within the Zaman Park space, he mentioned, including {that a} case can be registered towards Khan on this regard.

He mentioned Khan’s home had been raided after police bought search warrants.

The cricketer-turned-politician was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October final yr for not sharing particulars of the gross sales. The prime electoral physique later filed a grievance with the district court docket to punish him, below prison legal guidelines, for promoting the presents he had obtained as prime minister of the nation.

Khan was ousted from energy in April final yr after dropping a no-confidence vote, turning into the primary Pakistani prime minister to be voted out by the National Assembly.

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Published On:

Mar 18, 2023