LHC orders Imran Khan to appear by 8pm

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday ordered Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to appear before court by 8pm as the former premier seeks protective bail in a case pertaining to protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), ARY News reported on Wednesday.  

According to details, the former premier filed a petition in Lahore High Court (LHC), seeking protective bail after an Islamabad court rejects former prime minister’s bail in a case pertaining to protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following his disqualification in Toshakhana reference.

During the hearing, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh ordered Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Punjab to bring Imran Khan in the court ‘under his protection’.

“Law is equal for everyone, First, Imran Khan should surrender then the court will hear the case,” he said, rejecting his request for exemption from court appearance.

The former premier’s lawyers have also filed a request, seeking exemption from court appearance.

In the petition filed for protective bail, Imran Khan argued that he was injured in an assassination attempt during PTI’s long march in Wazirabad.

“I am unable to leave my residence due to injury”, he said, adding that he failed to appeared in Islamabad High Court (IHC) due to same reason. The PTI chief further said that he feared the police would arrest him as he approached the relvant court to seek protective bail.

Earlier in the day, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) rejected Imran Khan’s interim bail after he failed to appear before the court in a case pertaining to protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan announced the verdict over the non-appearance of former premier in the ECP protest case.

Earlier today, the court had rejected Imran’s request for exemption from appearance on medical grounds and directed him to appear before in person by 1:30pm.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman was on interim bail in the case and the court provided him with the opportunity to appear before it today. Babar Awan requested the court to extend his client’s bail till Feb 27 as the additional sessions judge had granted Imran’s interim bail till Feb 27.

At the previous hearing, the court had granted the PTI chief the last opportunity to appear on Feb 15.

The case

It is pertinent to mention here that several members of the local leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were booked in a case over alleged vandalism during the protests in Islamabad after ECP disqualified the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief in Toshakhana reference.

Cases were also registered against PTI leaders including Senator Faisal Javed, Aamir Kayani, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Raja Rashid Hafeez, Umer Tanveer Butt, Rashid Naeem Abbasi and Raja Majid.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana reference under Article 63(1)(p).