Islamabad, March 14 (PTI) A court has stayed till March 16 the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for threatening a female magistrate while addressing a public meeting last year.

A non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Khan on Monday against Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and Islamabad Police officials.

In Monday’s hearing, Khan’s lawyer said the 70-year-old PTI chief was willing to attend court proceedings via video link, but senior civil judge Rana Mujahid Rahim rejected his request and directed police to produce the cricketer-turned-politician. Court by March 29.

The PTI leader later challenged the warrants in the district court, where Additional Sessions Judge Faizan Haider Gilani, in an order, argued that Khan’s counsel had argued that “due to security threat to the life of the petitioner, the petitioner cannot appear before the learned trial court”.

During the hearing, Khan’s lawyer said it was not safe for the former prime minister to visit Islamabad amid security threats against him. Courts.

The judge said the arguments raised by Khan’s petition should be considered.

“Now let us come to the arguments on 16.03.2023. In the meantime, the operation of the impugned order is suspended till the next date,” the order further said.

Lawyers Naeem Panjota and Indisar Panjota appeared in court at Tuesday’s hearing, where Panjota argued that all the charges against the PTI chief were bailable, and the judge asked if a non-bailable arrest warrant had been issued for Khan earlier.

Earlier, the lawyer replied that no arrest warrant had been issued in a case related to intimidation of a woman judge.

For his part, the government’s counsel told the court that [arrest] warrants had also been issued for Khan in the Toshakana case.

The Sessions Court on Monday directed the police to arrest the PTI leader in the case and produce him before the court by March 18.

Meanwhile, the judge noted that the former prime minister had led an election rally in Lahore in which his lawyer said the PTI chief had appeared at the judicial premises last month.

Khan was initially booked under various sections of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Anti-Terrorism Act (ADA). Besides, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) also initiated contempt of court proceedings against him.

However, the IHC later dropped the terrorism charges and pardoned Khan following his apology in the former prime minister’s contempt case.

However, a similar case, filed after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him for allegedly threatening the judge, is pending in the Sessions Court.

Meanwhile, an Islamabad police team went to Lahore on Monday to arrest Khan for threatening a woman judge after the District and Sessions Court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for failing to attend the hearing of the case.

Khan, who is recovering from a gunshot wound from an assassination attempt in Wazirabad last year, has avoided charge-sheeting in the cases.

The PTI chief is in the crosshairs of buying gifts, including an expensive Graff watch that the chief minister received at a discount from a state depository called Toshakana, and selling them for profit.

Khan slammed government agencies after a failed police attempt to arrest him from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore earlier this month.

According to Khan, he faced at least 80 different cases in various courts across Pakistan.

Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he accused of being part of a US-led conspiracy to target him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan. PTI PY bye bye

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