ISLAMABAD – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered the Islamabad Police on Friday to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and produce in the ECP on September 25.
According to the ECP’s warrant, addressed to the Islamabad SSP Operations, Imran has been charged with contempt of ECP under Section 103-A of the Representation of People Act, 1976 for failing to appear before the commission despite a show cause notice.
The warrant is bailable and stipulates that Imran may be freed if and when he submits bail of Rs100,000 along with two sureties and assures attending the ECP hearings.
On Thursday, the ECP had issued a bailable warrant for the arrest of Khan after he failed to personally appear before the ECP in contempt of court proceedings.
A show-cause notice for contempt, dated August 24, was issued on an application filed in January this year by Akbar S Babar – a former PTI leader and the main petitioner in PTI’s alleged foreign funding.
The notice was served after Khan allegedly declined to submit the party’s accounts details and termed it ‘biased’.
The ECP notice accused Khan of “having chosen not to submit an unconditional apology, thereby obstructing the administration of justice and willfully flouting the directions of the commission.” Express Tribune reported.
It said despite being given repeated opportunities, the PTI chief refused to tender an unconditional apology in utter disregard to the commission’s direction.
On Thursday Khan’s new counsel Babar Awan told the ECP bench that his client was ready to appear before the commission but he had returned from London just an hour back and so was not available.
Not satisfied with his arguments, the ECP issued a bailable arrest warrant for the PTI chief, asking him to appear in person on September 25.
The PTI chief has already challenged the ECP’s show-cause notice in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) whose three-judge larger bench on Thursday heard his appeal against the notice, but adjourned its hearing till September 20.
