Tag: Imran

Police use water cannon, tear gas on Imran Khan’s supporters as rallies banned in Lahore

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Lahore: Pakistan’s police on Wednesday fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse ousted prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters who gathered outside his residence here, defying a government ban on rallies.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed that its “peaceful” workers were arrested as reports emerged that the provincial capital had been placed under Section 144, banning public gatherings.
The party termed the police action as “fascist” and an attempt to “clear the way” to arrest 70-year-old former cricketer-turned politician.
A heavy contingent of police placed containers and barriers on the way to Khan’s residence, blocking all entries.
Police used water cannons, fired tear gas and baton charged the PTI workers including women. The police bundled the resisting workers into police vans, the party said.
The riot police also smashed the cars of the PTI workers which were parked at Zaman Park. Police officials also manhandled journalists who protested the action, it claimed.
Last Sunday, police failed to arrest Khan primarily because of the resistance of a large number of PTI workers.
Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana, and selling them for profit.

Police have registered at least 76 cases against the PTI chief since his ouster from power in April last year.
“Police have arrested a number of PTI workers who had gathered at Zaman Park,” PTI senior leader Hammad Azhar told a press conference here.
He said police tortured PTI workers and also manhandled women.
“Punjab caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi launched the crackdown on PTI workers at the behest of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who is directly running the Punjab government,” he said.
He said it is the fear of Imran Khan that made the government unnerved.
“How come the government can ban rallies in Lahore while elections in Punjab have been announced for April 30,” he asked. Another PTI senior leader Shireen Mazari said: “Women workers of PTI are being attacked by water cannons. Police attack vehicles parked by the side in a wanton act of destruction. Fascist CM Mohsin Naqvi has gone power crazy. They are using chemicals in the water from the water cannons being fired on our women workers especially.” The PTI rally was to be taken out for “respect and dignity of the judiciary.” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah justified police action, saying “we had terror alerts from agencies” therefore ban on public gatherings and rallies imposed on Punjab.
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#Police #water #cannon #tear #gas #Imran #Khans #supporters #rallies #banned #Lahore
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 8, 2023
Imran jumped into his neighbour’s house to evade arrest

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Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan jumped his residence’s wall and escaped to his neighbour’s home to evade arrest, Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed on Monday, a day after the former Prime Minister’s hide-and-seek drama.
The minister, in a press conference in Islamabad, said: “Yesterday, the team that went to arrest Khan faced a lot of drama. There are rumours that he [Khan] jumped into his neighbours’ house [to hide]. After a while, he surfaced from somewhere and delivered a huge speech,” The News reported.
Sanaullah’s comments came after an Islamabad police team came to Lahore for arresting the PTI chief but without the court summons. The law enforcers returned without an arrest as the party told them that he “wasn’t home”, The News reported.
On February 28, Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal issued the former prime minister’s non-bailable arrest warrant for continuously failing to appear before the court in the Toshakhana case.
The minister admitted that if the police wanted to arrest the former prime minister, this wasn’t an appropriate strategy. “The police went there to inform him about the court’s orders. But he is a shameless person.”
Sanaullah added that when the authorities want to arrest and present him before the court, they will do so without hesitation. The interior minister added that Khan misused his authority when it came to Toshakhana gifts, The News reported.
The minister said that the deposed prime minister who was ousted from power in April last year and has since been protesting against the government will have to answer before the court.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 6, 2023
Imran Khan dodges arrest after Islamabad Police show up at his residence

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Lahore: A team of Islamabad police on Sunday reached Lahore residence of ousted prime minister Imran Khan to arrest him in the Toshakhana case, but returned after assurance from his legal team that he will appear before the court on March 7.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said there is no mention of “arrest” in the warrants as an Islamabad sessions court has asked him to appear before it on March 7 in the Toshakhana case.
The 70-year-old cricketer-turned politician, who has been recovering from a gunshot injury from an assassination attempt in Wazirabad last year, has thrice skipped indictment hearings in the case.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
The court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Khan last week and adjourned the hearing till March 7 for his repeated failure to appear before the court.
Meanwhile, Lahore police have closed the main road leading to the Zaman Park residence of Khan by placing containers. Riot police and water cannons are currently present near Khan’s residence. His party fears that police may raid Khan’s house anytime. However, it said the party workers will foil any such attempt.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar said in a statement that Punjab police would cooperate with Islamabad police to implement the court’s order regarding Khan’s case. He, however, did not say that police are going to arrest Khan.
“Punjab police will help Islamabad police in implementing the court’s order,” he said.

The Prime Minister’s special assistant on interior Attaullah Tarar told reporters that the Islamabad police went to Khan’s residence to deliver a notice to him to appear before a court in the Toshakhana case on March 7 when he will be indicted in the case.
“Today Imran Khan locked himself in a room in Zaman Park. Khan’s chief of staff Shibli Faraz said he wasn’t at home when the Islamabad police came to deliver a court’s notice. But Khan later appeared from his house addressing the party workers,” Tarar said.
A large number of PTI workers reached the Zaman Park following the news of his possible arrest. “Arrest of Imran Khan is our red line and we will not allow this,” PTI senior leader Shafqat Mahmood said.
As the Islamabad police were present outside his residence to deliver the court’s order, Khan was speaking at the gathering of those workers arrested in Jail Bharo Tehreek’ (court arrest movement) at his residence.
Khan claimed “they” wanted to kill him while on the way to his court appearance. “They have made yet another plan to kill me during a court appearance,” he alleged.
“I will write to the chief justice of Pakistan telling him that 74 false cases have been registered against me. I have a threat to my life from those who are supposed to protect me,” he said, in an indirect reference to the establishment.
“Take an example of criminals like (Prime Minister) Shehbaz Sharif and (Interior Minister) Rana Sanaullah who were involved in killing people and an attempt on his life (in Wazirabad in November last year) ” he said.
Khan also named “Dirty Harry’, a reference to a top ISI officer, for brutal torture of his party leaders and social media activists. “Dirty Harry is a psychopath. He is a sick man. There is a threat to my life from such people,” he said.
In a series of tweets, the Islamabad Police earlier said an operation to arrest Khan was being conducted with the cooperation of the Lahore police.
“Imran Khan is avoiding the arrest. The superintendent of police had gone into Imran’s room but he was not present there. Islamabad Police will transfer Imran Khan to Islamabad under their protection. Law is equal for all. Legal action will be taken against those obstructing the execution of court orders,” the Islamabad police said.
The Islamabad police said its team is still present in Lahore.
IG Islamabad Akbar Nasir said that the court has ordered police to present Khan before it by March 7 after arresting him.
“The Islamabad police team will remain in Lahore till further orders,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry told reporters that Khan is filing a protective bail petition in the Lahore High Court in the attack on Islamabad judicial complex.
Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
Since his ouster, Khan has been clamouring for immediate elections to oust what he termed was an “imported government” led by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif has maintained that elections will be held later this year once the parliament completes its five-year tenure.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 5, 2023
Pak probe agency accuses Imran of misusing interim bail

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Islamabad: Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday accused PTI Chairman Imran Khan of “misusing” his interim bail to skip court hearings as it petitioned a banking court hearing his prohibited funding case to form a medical board to examine the former Prime Minister, media reports said.
The FIA had in October 2022 booked Khan and other PTI leaders in connection with their party allegedly receiving prohibited funding, Dawn reported.
The case was filed by the state through FIA’s Corporate Banking Circle in Islamabad.
Later, a special court in Islamabad had granted him an interim bail, in which he kept getting an extension on medical grounds, after he received bullet wounds in an assassination bid at a rally in Wazirabad on Nov 3 last year, Dawn reported.
In a fresh application filed with Islamabad’s banking court today, the FIA said a bail application filed by Imran was pending before the court.
“After getting an interim bail, the accused is misusing the concession and not appearing before this honourable court and in fact, he is not cooperating with the process of law and till date, neither he joined the investigation nor he is appearing before the court on one pretext or the other,” the agency said, Dawn reported.
It also said that a “stereotype medical certificate” was being presented from a cancer hospital, “although the petitioner alleges he has issues related to orthopedic”.
The FIA pointed out that the medical report presented by Khan was issued by a hospital which was owned by him, “thus the said reports are otherwise not credible”, Dawn reported.

The agency said, “The principles of fair play and justice requires that the accused is to be examined by the board of expert doctors on the subject from PIMS or polyclinic and if their reports can be entertained.”
“It is respectfully prayed that order of the constitution of a medical board and examination of accused may graciously be passed and said board may kindly be directed to submit report qua physical health or mobility of accused in the light of injuries claimed by him on his leg in the best interest of justice,” the FIA said in its prayer to the court.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 25, 2023
Imran Khan’s party files petition in court, seeks release of detained leaders

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Lahore/Peshawar: Fearing that the notorious intelligence agencies may torture senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf politicians at undisclosed locations, ousted premier Imran Khan’s party on Thursday filed a petition in a court seeking the release of the leaders who offered their arrests under the mass court arrest movement a day earlier.
The interim Punjab government on Thursday confirmed that police had arrested 81 PTI activists, including former federal ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Hammad Azhar, Senators Azam Swati and Waleed Iqbal (grandson of poet of Allama Iqbal) and former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema. Khan’s party, however, insists that around 250 party workers have been detained by police in Lahore.
Initially, all the arrested PTI supporters were shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore but later its leaders were shifted to an ‘undisclosed location’.
Since neither the government nor the Punjab police confirmed the location of the detained leaders, the party and the families of the arrested leaders on Thursday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking their “safe recovery/release.”
Zain Qureshi, son of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said neither his father nor other leaders were presented before any court of law on Thursday nor the Punjab government and police are disclosing which jail they have been taken to.
The petitioners said the lives of PTI leaders are at stake at the hands of the government and police.
“If the detainees are not released from the illegal and unlawful detention, they may suffer an irreparable loss and injury,” they said and added that the arrested PTI leaders may be booked in false and frivolous cases in order to cause them maximum harm.
The PTI leadership is wary of the treatment meted out to the detained leaders.

Earlier, Senator Azam Swati had alleged that some senior ISI officers had inflicted severe torture on him while he was in police custody.
The PTI is fearing a similar situation in the case of these arrested senior leaders.
A Punjab police officer said that Qureshi has been shifted to Attock Jail while the other senior leaders are kept in different jails in Punjab.
Khan’s party on Wednesday began a mass court arrest movement from Lahore over what it called the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown.
According to the party, every day a few hundred PTI workers and leaders will present themselves for arrest from different cities.
On Thursday, party workers and leaders presented themselves for arrest in Peshawar. “Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders, workers and people left for (Peshawar) Central Jail in large numbers,” the party said.
The mass court arrest movement will continue till the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not announced, a party leader said.
The PTI dissolved its governments in Punjab and Kyber-Pakhtaunkhawa provinces over a month ago. Under the Constitution, elections must be held within 90 days after the dissolution of an assembly.
The PML-N-led nine-party government has said that holding separate elections for the provincial and national assemblies is not possible because of the economic crisis and the law and order situation.
Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April last year after a no-confidence motion was passed in the National Assembly, is seeking fresh general elections in Pakistan.
Khan has said that he has started the “Jail Bharo Tehreek” (court arrest movement) for Haqeeqi Azadi for two main reasons. “One, it is a peaceful, non-violent protest against the attack on our constitutionally-guaranteed fundamental rights. We are facing sham FIRs & National Accountability Bureau cases, custodial torture, attacks on journalists & social.”
He said the drive was against the economic meltdown “brought on by a cabal of crooks who have money laundered billions in looted wealth & gotten the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) (deal) for themselves while crushing the people, especially the poor and middle class, under the burden of spiralling inflation and rising unemployment.”
Khan urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
Imran Khan’s party kicks off ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ from Lahore

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Lahore: Ousted prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on Wednesday began a mass court arrest movement from Lahore over what it called the violation of fundamental rights, abuse of the Constitution and the economic meltdown.
The party shared footage of senior leaders, including former federal ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Senator Azam Swati and former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, sitting inside a police van. They asked the police present there to arrest them.
“Today 200 PTI workers and Lahore leadership including myself have presented themselves for arrest,” said Qureshi, who is the vice-chairman of the party.
“This movement will continue until the imported government puts an end to the lawlessness in the country” and is held accountable for the last 10 months in the people’s court, he added.
A large number of PTI workers and leaders gathered at the Jail Road. Some of the workers had chained and kept themselves in an ‘artificial jail’ they made.
The government has imposed section 144 on different roads including Mall Road Lahore under which not more than five people can gather there. “We have violated section 144 to go to jail,” Qureshi insisted.
The Punjab government and Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, however, said that police will not arrest any PTI worker for violating section 144.
“Only those PTI leaders will be arrested who are wanted in corruption or any other criminal cases,” Sanaullah said.

“The PTI leaders are doing photo sessions after boarding a police van in Lahore. They need political mileage through such stunts,” he said, adding that through this campaign 70-year-old Imran Khan wants to create anarchy in the country.
Information Minister Marriyum Auranzeb said that the PTI leaders have attacked a police van. “The PTI leadership will be arrested for attacking the police van,” she added.
On the other hand, Khan said that he has started the “Jail Bharo Tehreek” (court arrest movement) for Haqeeqi Azadi for two main reasons. “One, it is a peaceful, non-violent protest against the attack on our constitutionally-guaranteed fundamental rights. We are facing sham FIRs & NAB cases, custodial torture, attacks on journalists & social.” He further said the drive was against the economic meltdown “brought on by cabal of crooks who have money laundered billions in looted wealth & gotten NROs (deal) for themselves while crushing the people especially the poor and middle class, under the burden of spiralling inflation and rising unemployment.” Khan urged the people to take to the streets to get “true freedom”.
“As a matter of fact, this movement will take you to a free and happy Pakistan where your fundamental rights are protected. The ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ is the name of jihad,” he added.
The cricketer-turned-politician said he would also present himself for arrest once his bullet wound heals.
In November last year, Khan suffered three bullet injuries to his right leg during an anti-government rally in Wazirabad in Punjab province.
“There seems to be no rule of law in the country as despite the court’s order to hold the polls in Punjab within 90 days the state institutions are not ready to comply with it. If the elections are not held within 90 days in two provinces, it will create a constitutional crisis and promote jungle law in the country,” Khan said.
The PTI had dissolved its governments in Punjab and Kyber-Pakhtaunkhawa provinces over a month ago. Under the Constitution, elections must be held within 90 days after dissolution of an assembly.
The PML-N led nine-party government has said that holding separate elections for the provincial and national assemblies is not possible because of the economic crisis and the law and order situation.
Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April last year after a no-confidence motion was passed in the National Assembly, is seeking fresh general elections in Pakistan.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023
Alvi should act as president, not Imran Khan’s spokesman: Pak Interior Minister

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Islamabad: Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah “censured” President Arif Alvi, asking him to respect his constitutional stature as he has nothing to do with the date for elections, the media reported Sunday.
The interior minister, in a statement, said that Alvi should act as the president of Pakistan and not as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s spokesperson, The News reported.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader stated that the former prime minister, prior to this, made the president, speaker, deputy speaker and governors do “unconstitutional” things, The News reported.
He said Alvi was “intruding” into the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) domain, claiming that Khan was pressurising the electoral body while using the office of the president.
The minister said that President Alvi was an “accomplice” in PTI’s foreign funding case, The News reported.
On the other hand, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the President should remain within his constitutional limits.
Taking to Twitter, Asif said that the president should not trespass the ECP’s limits. “He (President Alvi) should not do politics. He should remember that he usurped the constitutional post as a result of a selection/occurrence in 2018.”
Meanwhile, the president while addressing a conference earlier, said that democracy could be strengthened by implementing the Constitution, so elections must be held as per the constitutional requirement, The News reported.

Referring to the current situation in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, Alvi said he once again wrote a letter to the chief election commissioner for holding a meeting so that the election dates could be announced in both provinces as per the constitutional requirement.
Dr Alvi said it was a constitutional requirement to hold the elections within 90 days of the dissolution of any assembly, so matters should be settled as per the Constitution.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 19, 2023
Maryam Nawaz slams Imran for using women as shield

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Lahore: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Saturday censured Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for “hiding in a bunker” and using “women as a shield”, media reports said.
The PML-N scion, during an informal discussion with journalists in Lahore, spoke about the PTI chief hiding inside a burrow and avoiding appearing in courts – in reference to the ex-Prime Minister residing at his Lahore residence and not appearing before the judges despite being repeatedly ordered to do so, Geo News reported.
Khan – the country’s deposed Prime Minister whose government was ousted after a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly in April last year – on Friday announced kickstarting his party’s ‘Jail Bharo’ (court arrest) movement from February 17, starting from Lahore.
The PTI Chairman’s decision comes as he blames the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led coalition government for resorting to the “political victimisation” of his party’s leaders.
“We will fill jails, they [authorities] will have no space left to hide,” Khan said in his address to the nation via video link a day earlier.
“Imran Khan [came into power] through the establishment’s support and is now trying to use the judiciary. His deeds are about to be exposed,” Maryam said while also slamming the PTI chief for not leaving the “bunker”, Geo News reported.
The senior PML-N leader added that the PTI chief drafted a 12-year plan to rule the country; however, his plans were thwarted by her party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif.
“Imran Khan wanted to make the next appointment, but could not do so,” she said in an apparent reference to the army chief’s appointment. “Nawaz Sharif did not panic and his [Khan’s] plan failed,” she claimed.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 19, 2023
Imran Khan announces to launch ‘Jail Bharo’ movement from next week

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Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced that the “Jail Bharo” movement will start next week Wednesday from Lahore, Geo News reported.
“We will fill jails, they [authorities] will have no space left to hide,” Khan said while addressing the audience through his televised video and warned the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led (PDM) government.
Blaming the incumbent coalition government for its “political victimization” of his party leaders and allies, Khan claimed that the police entered the homes of PTI workers in Multan and were tasked with such threatening tactics.
In his televised address from Lahore’s Zaman Park residence from where he has been residing since being shot in the legs on November 3 last year, Khan said, “They want to enslave us by threatening to put us in jails.”
In the wake of sedition cases filed against his party leaders including Fawad Chaudhry, Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill, Imran Khan on February 4 announced “Jail Bharo Tehreek” and asked PTI workers and supporters to prepare for movement across the country, reported Geo News.
The interim government is strongly against the PTI, he added.
While referring to the caretaker setup, he said: “The man with a questionable character was brought in. We have a list of 23 people who had inflicted atrocities of which 16 were brought in.”
The PTI chief also recalled the “torture” inflicted on his party’s leaders highlighting the treatment meted out to Swati, Gill, and Fawad.

“Never in history have such acts been committed against political opponents,” Khan lamented.
The tensions between the incumbent government and the PTI have heightened, with no sign of respite as the elections in two provinces — Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — near, following the party’s decision to dissolve the assemblies. Punjab and KP assemblies were dissolved by the PTI on January 14 and January 18, respectively, according to Geo News.
Firing fresh broadside at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PTI chief said: “It is dangerous that the CEC [Chief Election Commissioner] is showing his inability on conducting the election.”
Khan’s fresh criticism comes hours after President Arif Alvi summoned CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja for an urgent meeting on February 20 regarding the announcement of the date for fresh general elections.
He said that they dissolved the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP as per the knowledge that the country’s Constitution clarifies that the elections should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of any assembly.
“The caretaker government and the interim chief ministers would be illegal on the 91st day,” he added.
No disaster could be bigger than that when the judiciary failed to ensure the implementation of the Constitution, he said while hitting out hard at the polls organizing authority. “There is no justice where the rule of law collapses.”
Khan said that they had been claiming that the coalition government did not have the mandate and they cannot run the country.
Blaming the interim government for obstructing the probe against the assassination attack on him in Wazirabad on November 3 last year, the PTI chief said “its job is to only conduct elections”.
“The interim government first comes and stops the [joint investigation team] JIT and steals records. When an officer goes to collect the JIT report, it is found that only 11 pages of the report are remaining,” he said, adding that the JIT records are being claimed to have gone missing.
The former premier, lambasting the interim setup in Punjab, said that all links were pointing at them and they were worried about being caught, reported Geo News.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 18, 2023
Pak court cancels bail of ex-PM Imran Khan in election commission protest case

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Islamabad: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court here on Wednesday rejected the bail of former prime minister Imran Khan for failing to attend the court hearing of a case linked to protests outside the election commission, a ruling which could lead to his arrest.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists staged a protest after Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the prohibited funding case last year.
In October last year, Police launched a case under the anti-terrorism laws and the former premier was on interim bail in the case.
On Wednesday, Judge Raja Jawad Abbas of Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad remarked that Khan had been given enough time to appear before the court but he had failed to do so while his lawyer Babar Awan in his arguments urged the court to grant a one-time exemption from in-person appearance as Khan had not recovered from a gun attack of last year.
The judge refused to accept the plea and ordered that Khan should appear by stating that the court cannot give any relief to a “powerful person” like Khan which is not given to a common person.
Finally, the judge refused to extend the interim bail, leaving the 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, who survived an assassination attempt in November last year, vulnerable to police arrest.
The PTI leadership had asked party workers to stage protests across the country, including near the ECP, after Khan was disqualified over hiding details of party funding.
Separately, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) barred a banking court from passing any direction on Khan’s bail plea in the Federal Investigation Agency’s prohibited funding case against the PTI.

Last year, the ECP in the funding case against the PTI ruled that the party had received prohibited funding.
Later, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a case against Khan and other party leaders as signatories/beneficiaries of the PTI account where the funds were parked.
At the previous hearing, the banking court had rejected Khan’s request for a virtual hearing and asked him to appear in person on February 15.
During the hearing on Wednesday, the court once again rejected the exemption request and instructed him to appear before the judge in person on Wednesday.
But Khan had approached the IHC with a request for virtual proceedings which in its order instructed the PTI chief to submit fresh medical reports and stopped the banking court from taking further action in the case till February 22.
Khan has been facing a raft of cases and once he jokingly remarked that the only case he was not booked so far was the “crime of dipping rusk in tea before eating them”.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 15, 2023