ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday challenged before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) his non-bailable arrest warrants issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a contempt case.
Khan moved the petition through his counsel Babar Awan advocate and made ECP chairman and Akbar S Babar as respondents. The counsel for the PTI stated in his petition that on October 12 the petitioner was neither required to appear nor he was summoned thus orders of arrest warrants of his client were tainted with malafide on facts and law.
The counsel continued that admittedly for all practical purposes and intents, this was a case of civil contempt wherein repeated harsh and uncalled for orders were being passed by the ECP chairman.
He maintained that it was a case of split order, which called for the interference of this court because the petitioner was being victimised at the instance of his political opponents.
Babar contended that the arrest warrants issued by the ECP was against the law and the facts of the case.
“The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has no power to initiate proceedings under question in view of express provision of Article 204 of the Constitution,” adopted the counsel.
He argued that Imran never obstructed the administration of justice.
Therefore, proceedings initiated by the ECP were liable to be dropped in the interest of justice, the counsel argued.
The PTI chief’s counsel, in his petition, prayed to the court that the arrest warrants issued on October 12 by the ECP against his client “be set aside and proceedings initiated [by the ECP] against the petitioner may be declared void, unlawful, without lawful authority, against the Constitution and law on the subject in the interest of justice.”