• Prosecution had demanded court issue non-bailable arrest warrant.
• Court rejects Imran Khan’s plea seeking exemption from hearing. 
• Court asks PTI chief to submit surety bonds worth Rs20,000.

ISLAMABAD: Bailable arrest warrant was issued for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan by a local court in Islamabad in the female judge threatening case.

Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman issued the warrant after hearing the case.  

At the outset of today’s hearing, prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi contended that the court had summoned the PTI chief in a personal capacity. He also added that the former prime minister’s plea for personal exemption was not accepted.

“Imran Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrant should be issued as bailable ones have already been issued,” Abbasi said, asking if a convict other than Khan was meted out with such a treatment.

The prosecutor added that an appeal is always filed on behalf of the PTI chief over the warrants; however, he does not appear in the court himself.

The court then took a recess till Khan’s lawyer arrived in court.

Once the hearing resumed, Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry informed the court that Islamabad High Court (IHC) was hearing bail pleas in multiple cases. He added that his client was unable to walk properly due to his leg injury and that the court also has to look after his client’s security.

The judge remarked that the PTI chief’s plea of seeking exemption from the hearing has already been dismissed.

At this, Chaudhry responded that it was a new day and a new one must be filed.

Meanwhile, the report on the implementation of the warrant was also submitted to the court today.

On this, Khan’s lawyer Ali Bukhari told the court that his client does not live in Banigala and that next time the warrants should be served at his client’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

The lawyers then also submitted a plea seeking the exemption from hearing to the court.

The judge then took a recess for the second time and resumed hearing on the arrival of the prosecutor Abbasi. After hearing all the arguments, the court issued the warrants and directed the PTI chief to submit surety bonds worth Rs20,000 while adjourning the hearing till May 25.

The court further directed the authorities concerned that the court orders be sent to Zaman Park.

The case

A case had been registered against the former prime minister under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and senior police officers of the Islamabad police during a public rally in August last year.

The IHC had then started contempt of court proceedings against the former prime minister.

Later on, the high court removed the terror charges and also pardoned the PTI chief after he had tendered an apology in the contempt case.

But a similar case had been filed against the PTI chief — after the registration of the first information report (FIR) against him — and is still pending before the sessions court.