The Pakistan Election Observation Commission on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and several other leaders of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on charges of insulting and disrespecting the judiciary.
The Daily Pakistan reported that the former prime minister and his party colleagues could avoid arrest and remain free on bail.
Earlier, Imran Khan as well as members of the PTI leadership Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry refused to appear before the Election Observation Commission and the Supreme Court after various criminal cases were filed against them, including for violating the anti-terrorism law. Due to their repeated refusal to appear and their insults to the authorities, the Supreme Court allowed the Election Monitoring Commission to issue arrest warrants against Imran Khan and other opposition politicians.
The former prime minister and his associates believe the charges against them are illegal and trumped up. They are leading the ongoing mass demonstrations of opposition supporters for early general elections, planning their return to power in the Islamic republic.
Imran Khan resigned as head of government in April 2022, when the lower house of parliament passed a vote of no confidence in him and elected Shahbaz Sharif, the chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz faction), as the new prime minister.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS